The Schism: Hoenn's Descent
by hi jump kick
Summary: As Team Aqua and Magma run rampant, and corruption rooted deeply in the most unexpected places, a young trainer named Amy is caught in the thick of danger, and must decide for herself who she can trust. Very loosely based on an emerald nuzlocke run.
1. Chapter 1

locke and load

chapter one

/

The back of a moving truck wasn't exactly comfortable.

Boxes of assorted possessions toppled down onto me, breaking and scattering their contents onto me. I angrily shook clothes out of my eyes and struggled to get up.

I hadn't asked to ride back here; my mother had this crazy notion that I wanted to pretend I was a stowaway. No.

We were moving to this podunk little town from the bustling streets of Goldenrod. My father got transferred to this region to become the Petalburg gym leader/

The truck stopped with a jerk, throwing me against the side of the metal vehicle. My elbow exploded in pain. I blinked excruciatingly against the bright light that infiltrated my prison when the door opened.

I stood, trying to get out, but my foot caught on a sweater and I tumbled headfirst out of the moving truck. My mother, who had just opened the door, laughed.

I glared up at her through a layer of mud and grime. She beamed down at me happily. "We're here, Amy!"

"Obviously." I growled.

My mother helped me up. "Hey, go check out your room. The movers put all your stuff in there."

I went into our comically-tiny house. The first floor was only one room, a kitchen. Some large, gray, hulking beasts were lifting our furniture around, their muscles bulging with the effort.

I walked upstairs, and was astonished to find that the second floor was entirely mine. My bed was against one wall, and my computer against another. Even my posters were up, one of Pokelympian Misty, one of the band Aerodactylsmith. My closet was stocked with my clothes, I noticed happily.

I changed into clean clothes and went back downstairs. My mother was gazing with rapt attention at the television. When she saw me, she gestured at me wildly. "Come here, Amy! Your dad's on TV!"

I walked over to her and looked at the television. An interview was just ending, and the news anchors turned to a report of a man reuniting with his nidoran.

"Oh…"my mother said, disappointed. "Well, you missed it, but he was on!"

I shrugged. "Mom, I'm going out. Maybe see some people. Meet the neighbors."

My mother nodded. "Okay, Amy. Don't go into the tall grass. You don't have a pokemon."

I went outside and looked around. This town was _tiny_. Counting our tiny house, there were only a couple other homes and a larger building, which I assumed was the laboratory.

I decided to go to other homes and see if there were any other kids my age, so I went next door and knocked. A boy with a white hat answered the door.

"Hi." he said, leaning against the doorway. "You must be the new neighbor. I'm Brendan."

I extended my hand. "Amy. Nice to meet you." We shook hands and he studied me, almost in an analytical way, unnerving me slightly. "Uh…what is it?"

"Are you a trainer yet?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I don't have any pokemon." I replied.

Brendan frowned, then a glint entered his eye.

"Hey, why don't we go visit my dad? He'll give you one!"

I shrugged. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Brendan nodded eagerly. "Oh, yeah! He always gives out pokemon to new trainers!"

So, with that, Brendan led me to the lab, and we went inside. An aide looked up when we entered, and nodded to Brendan.

"Hi, Brendan." the aide said. "Your dad's not here, if that's who you're looking for. He's out on the route doing research."

"Okay, thanks." We left. As we trudged down the path to the route, I turned to him. Something had just occurred to me.

"Your dad's the professor?" Brendan nodded noncommittally, like it was no big deal.

"That's so cool!" I gushed. He smiled a little, but twisted his mouth wryly.

"Well, isn't your dad the Petalburg leader? That's cooler than a professor dad."

I considered. "I guess I never really thought about it." I admitted. "I mean, I don't see him much, and when I do, I don't think of him as a famous guy. He's just…my dad."

Brendan nodded in agreement. "That's exactly how I feel about my dad."

We passed the sign that said 'YOU ARE NOW LEAVING LITTLEROOT TOWN'. As we advanced onto the route, Brendan remarked, "My dad should be here somewhere."

Suddenly, we heard a yell of fear. Brendan gasped. "My dad!" He grabbed a pokeball from his belt and rushed forward, and I followed on his heels.

As we turned a corner, we were greeted with a horrifying sight. Two poochyena were advancing on Professor Birch, growling menacingly. A tattered pack lay on the ground.

Brendan threw his pokeball. "Go, Treecko!" A green, lizard-like pokemon appeared in a flash of white light, and stood defensively in front of Brendan. Brendan turned to me.

"Amy, get a pokemon out of that pack. My treecko can't fight two pokemon alone; it's not strong enough!"

I ran over to the pack and rummaged around inside. Two pokeballs rolled around inside. I grabbed one at random and tossed it underhand. "Go, pokemon!"

A pokemon burst out of the ball in a glitter of light. A four-legged, blue creature looked up at me, bemused. It had a large fin on its head, and on its tail. Its orange cheeks twitched.

"It's a mudkip!" Brendan yelled. "Good choice, Amy!"

The mudkip bounded up to Brendan's treecko, and they stood, side by side, awaiting instructions. The treecko spat something at the poochyena, and they turned away from Birch, growling at it and the mudkip instead.

"Treecko, pound!" Brendan yelled. The little pokemon lunged at one of the poochyena, landing a hard slap across its face, sending it sprawling.

Brendan turned to me. "Amy, command Mudkip to do something!"

I looked at the little blue pokemon. It looked up at me, awaiting a command.

And that's when one of the poochyena knocked it backward.

The mudkip yelled in pain as it slid across the slick ground, and I racked my brain trying to think of an attack it might know.

Well, most young pokemon knew a basic move like pound, or tackle. I assumed the mudkip wouldn't be able to pound.

"Use tackle!" I shouted. The mudkip righted itself, and rushed the poochyena, sending it flying backward into a tree. It didn't get back up.

"Good job!" yelled Brendan. "Treecko, pound again!" The treecko lunged forward again, and struck the poochyena with a right hook. The poochyena howled, frightened, and fled.

The mudkip looked up at me happily. Brendan walked over to me, Treecko at his side, and patted me on the back.

"Great job, Amy! Especially for a first battle. How did you know Mudkip's attacks?" he asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "It just…made sense, I guess."

Professor Birch walked over to me. "You must be Amy. I must say, that was a great battle you had. You pulled it off with aplomb, just like your father!"

I blushed. Nobody had ever compared me to my father before. "Thanks, professor."

"Dad, I was wondering," Brendan urged, "if you could give Amy a pokemon?"

The professor smiled, and I could see the resemblance between father and son. "I don't see why not!" he replied kindly.

Something nudged my leg, and I looked down. The mudkip was leaning against me, nuzzling my leg.

Birch laughed. "It looks like this mudkip wants to accompany you? Do you want it?"

The mudkip was now looking at me with rapt adoration, and its eyes shone.

"Sure, why not? It seems to like me already." The mudkip made a bubbling sound, and smiled.

I knelt down by it, petting it on the head. "I'm going to think of a name for you. Hmmm….well, since you have a fin, I'm going to call you…Finley!"

Finley chirped happily, and I picked it up. It was surprisingly light, considering its sturdy body. Its skin was slick and moist, and felt a little like rubber.

"Thank you, professor." I said gratefully.

I felt a warm feeling in my chest. I assumed it was from happiness, but Brendan blushed and pointed at Finley.

"Um…your mudkip…is…um…" I looked down.

Finley was peeing on me.


	2. Chapter 2

chapter two

/

As I trekked through Oldale, Finley at my side, I kept an eye out for new prospective additions to my party. The professor had given me a pokedex and pokeballs so I could record all the pokemon I met.

I was stopped by a mart attendant, who gave me a potion. I put it in my bag for later. Birch wanted me to meet up with Brendan and battle again, but I didn't want to, so instead of going straight through Oldale, I turned left toward Petalburg.

I needed a new pokemon, badly. Finley was all right, but if he had a weakness to grass types and we encountered one, it would not end well.

I walked into the grass and looked around. Suddenly, Finley pounced on something. It yelped and scrambled away.

It was a poochyena. It stood menacingly, despite its small size. I pulled out the pokedex and scanned it, which told me that it was a girl.

"Finley, tackle it!" I ordered the mudkip. Finley knocked the poochyena backward, and it scrabbled along the ground, trying to right itself. I wasn't going to let that happen. I pulled out an empty pokeball, and tossed it at the pokemon. The ball enveloped it in white light, and sucked it in.

The ball bounced along the ground, shivering madly. Then, suddenly, it stopped moving.

Finley cheered, and I smiled, picking up the ball. We now had a poochyena.

I enlarged the ball and tossed it underhand, releasing the poochyena in a flash of white light. It growled up at me, hackles raised. Finley spat bubbles at it, annoyed, and it sprang back with a snort. In an attempt to gain its trust, I kneeled down next to it and reached out a hand. "It's okay…" I said comfortingly.

And then it bit me.

Screeching in pain, I drew my bleeding hand back. Finley snarled protectively, and tackled it. It went flying backward, and then landed agilely on its feet. Before they could do each other further damage, I planted my body between them.

"Guys," I said sternly, which made the female poochyena wince, "like it or not, you're a team now, and you have to treat each other right."

Finley cowered sadly, and the poochyena averted its gaze. "Shake hands." I commanded. Obediently, Finley extended a paw, and the poochyena hesitantly met it with its own furry paw.

I nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, to give you a name…" I said to the poochyena. It wagged its tail happily, a total attitude about-face. "I'm going to call you…Zafrina!"

Zafrina barked happily at her new name, and Finley blew bubbles into the air. And, for the first time, I felt like we were part of a family.

Unfortunately, that did not last long.

We continued on to Petalburg, and I healed my pokemon before going to my dad's gym.

My father was standing in the center of the room, talking with a gym trainer when I walked in. He turned to me. "Amy!" he said, surprised. "I didn't expect you so soon!"

I smiled a little. "Well, my pokemon are pretty reliant. They helped us make good time.

My father peered around me, at my pokemon. "Well, they look pretty sturdy. What are their names?"

I gestured to Finley first. "This is Finley. He was my starter." The mudkip blew a bubble happily, chirping up at my dad.

"And this is Zafrina." The poochyena barked, wagging her tail.

My father smiled. "It's great that you're becoming a trainer, Amy. And one day, maybe we can battle."

Our father-daughter moment was interrupted by the bamboo door of the gym sliding open. A green-haired, frail-looking boy peered in.

"Um…I'd like to get a pokemon, please…"

My father looked confused, then his face cleared. "Oh, of course! You're Wally." He turned to me. "Amy, would you go with Wally and make sure he safely catches a pokemon?"

I glanced down at Finley, who looked as bemused as I must have looked. "Oh…sure, Dad."

My father handed Wally two pokeballs. "One of them is empty, which you can use to catch your pokemon. The other contains my zigzagoon. Use it to weaken the pokemon."

"Oh! Thank you, sir!" Wally gushed. Then, to my complete surprise and embarrassment, he grabbed me by the hand. "Come on, Amy!"

Dragged, and barely keeping my feet, I followed Wally out of the gym and into the route I had just come from, my pokemon pursuing, unsure if they should assist me or not.

We stopped in a patch of tall grass, and Wally looked around. "Okay…you catch a pokemon in tall grass like this, right? Hmmm…"

Suddenly, a patch of grass directly in front of him rustled, and Wally cried, "Whoa!"

The zigzagoon that belonged to my dad burst forth. It was rather large, but looked very healthy. In fact, it was simply bursting with vitality as its coat shone.

The pokemon it opposed was a white, cloaked pokemon with a green, domed head. A pink horn jutted from its head.

_"Ralts, the Emotion pokemon," _said my pokedex. "_It has the ability to sense the feelings of people, and only appears to those with a pure heart and intentions."_

Appalled, I returned my pokedex to my pocket and watched Wally urge the zigzagoon on. After it tackled the ralts a few times, he returned it and threw the empty pokeball. The ralts was sucked in, and the ball shuddered before becoming motionless.

"I…did it!" Wally said disbelievingly before turning to me. "Amy…thanks for helping me out. I couldn't've done it without you." To my utter astonishment, he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

Stunned and blushing, and ignoring my mudkip's catcalls, I stuttered, "Uh…n-no problem."

Wally led us back to the gym, where he returned my father's zigzagoon and thanked my father. Then, he turned to me. Fearful that he would try to kiss me again, I stepped back.

But he merely said, "I'm moving to Verdanturf so the clear air can cure my asthma. Maybe I'll see you again someday, huh, Amy?"

I nodded. "Sure. Maybe we can have a battle or something." Wally smiled, and I was struck by how healthy he seemed to look when he did so.

"Bye, Amy." Wally left, and I found myself looking after him. Then, I turned to my dad.

He was smirking, but I glared at him, warning him to keep his mouth shut. He cleared his throat. "So, anyway Amy, you need to collect some badges before we battle. It would be no contest if I battled you now."

I sighed. I was going to have to travel all over the region just to battle my father. "Okay…" I started to leave, but my father called after me.

"Amy!" I turned, my pokemon at my heels, and in my father's eyes blazed a look I had never seen there before. It was pride. He smiled. "Good luck."

I grinned in return before leaving the gym. I looked down at my two pokemon, who were eyeing me eagerly. "Ready?"

Yips and chirps were the reply. We eked out a rough path to Petalburg Forest and, after many battles with the locals, we reached the entrance to the forest. Both of my pokemon were looking rather tough. Finley's legs were looking thicker, less spindly. Zafrina was a little taller from her experience, and her teeth looked sharper.

Before we could enter the forest, a strident yell pierced my ears and made Zafrina wince in pain. "Hey! Battle me, trainer!" I turned to see a brunette in a green dress, seemingly unfit for traveling. She clutched a pokeball in one hand and pointed at my pokemon with the other. "Battle me!" she repeated.

I was unnerved. The other trainers along the path had not behaved that way; they were more easygoing, but this trainer was acting insanely. "Um…okay…" I agreed hesitantly.

The girl grinned. "Good! I'm Lady Cindy! Now choose your pokemon!"

I looked down at Zafrina, since she was the lower-leveled of the two. "Let's go, Zafrina!" The poochyena yipped happily before bounding out in front of me.

Lady Cindy tossed her own pokeball. "Go, Ziggy!" An unimaginatively-named zigzagoon popped out, growling at my poochyena.

"Zafrina, howl!" I commanded. Zafrina complied, and her attack stat rose, making her teeth sharper and her body buffer.

Cindy instructed her zigzagoon to tackle Zafrina, and my poochyena went sprawling. As she righted herself, I told her to counter with a tackle. She complied, and her attack was much stronger, sending Ziggy flying into a tree. Dazed, it lay at the trunk, where leaves spiraled lazily over it. Lady Cindy ran over to her pokemon, spraying it with some sort of liquid from a spray bottle.

I wondered what it was. Perfume? Febreeze? Pepper spray? I got my answer when the zigzagoon bounced up, landing on its feet, seemingly in full health.

It was medicine. Lady Cindy had used a full restore on a little zigzagoon. "A potion would have sufficed," I muttered, facepalming.

It was this moment that Cindy made her fatal move.

"Ziggy, tackle it!" The zigzagoon sprang forward with renewed vigor, and Zafrina, who had just turned to face it, was sent flying. This tackle was substantially stronger than the other one had been.

Zafrina lay in the grass, and I waited for her to get up. She was motionless.

"Zafrina?" I asked curiously. "Are you okay?" The little poochyena didn't move.

I walked over to her, kneeling down and lightly scratching behind her ears, her favorite spot. "Hey, girl, are you okay?" That's when I noticed the large lump behind her ear. Picking her up, I parted the fur there to see a bloody lump on her head. And then I realized. Her skull was cracked. It had fractured on impact.

Zafrina, my cute, spunky poochyena, was dead.

With tears in my eyes, I tossed out Finley's pokeball, and he turned to me. His black eyes widened at the sight of the lifeless body in my arms.

"Finish it…" I choked out, simply pointing at the zigzagoon. And for the first time, Finley looked terrifying. His face contorted in a snarl as he lunged forward, avenging the death of my poor poochyena.

I didn't even try to watch, as my eyes were misty and foggy with tears. I heard Lady Cindy cry out, and footsteps moved away quickly. Then, I felt Finley nudge my arm gently, and I put my arm around him. He had tears in his eyes, too.

We mourned our dead companion and friend together.


	3. Chapter 3

_chapter three_

_/_

After burying Zafrina, Finley and I continued on our path, though with substantially less vigor than before. Lady Cindy had dropped some money in her haste to get away from Finley, so we had some funds to buy medicine and other necessities.

We entered Petalburg Forest, and Finley seemed strangely hesitant to lead the way, which was odd. Usually, he was raring to go. I just chalked it up to shock after Zafrina's untimely death.

I was wrong.

It was an unspoken agreement between Finley and I that we needed to find more additions to the party, so we combed the grass meticulously. And, after much searching, we were rewarded.

Finley growled as the grass parted to reveal a small, mushroom-like creature with a perpetual scowl. Dots decorated its dull green body.

_"Shroomish, the Mushroom pokemon. Shroomish bury themselves in compost piles and feed on the decaying leaves." _my pokedex said mechanically.

I recoiled slightly. That was kind of disgusting, but still better than eating a decaying beast.

The shroomish glared up at me with its beady little doll eyes. Finley let out a deep growl, and I was struck by how much he had matured from the petite, unexperienced mud fish he had been.

"Finley, tackle it!" I ordered, and the mudkip dutifully leaped forth, colliding with the shroomish. It reeled, and I started to smile, but then Finley reeled, dazed. Confused, I scanned both pokemon with my pokedex. Apparently, shroomish have an ability called effect spore that can relay a status problem to adversaries who attack them physically.

Finley was paralyzed.

I could see that Finley was having problems moving around; he wasn't as agile as normal, and I rummaged around in my bag for a paralyz heal. Failing to find one, I looked up desperately at the shroomish advancing on my mudkip. I couldn't lose another one, not after Zafrina…

"Finley, just one more attack! Bubble it!" I shouted in fear, and hallelujah, he managed to pry open his jaw and send out a barrage of rock-hard bubbles at the shroomish.

It didn't seem to do a lot of damage, but it distracted the shroomish for a few seconds, and that was all of the window I needed. Pulling a pokeball out of my bag, I enlarged it and threw it at the pokemon. It sucked the little grass-type in, and landed on the marshy ground, bouncing twice before becoming stationary.

We now had a shroomish.

Finley, despite his paralysis, walked over to the pokeball, sniffed it, and then pressed the middle button, releasing the shroomish, to my astonishment.

The little mushroom looked up at Finley, who was taller than it was, and then gestured toward me, saying something in its language. Finley responded affirmatively. It said something else. Finley smiled and said no.

Wait…how could I understand Finley?

"Finley?" I asked experimentally. My mudkip turned and looked at me.

"_Yes?"_ he replied. I gasped.

"I can understand you!"

Finley looked excited. _"That's…I can't…the…is female by the way…to her, Trainer." _I was disappointed. I could only pick up bits and pieces of what he said, and I told him so.

He frowned, and the shroomish looked bemused. I knelt down to its level. "Hey, little guy." I said soothingly. Or at least, I thought I was being soothing. The shroomish puffed up indignantly, and muttered something angrily.

Finley said something, and gestured to the shroomish. I couldn't understand what he was trying to convey.

"I don't understand, Finley." The mud fish looked frustrated, and gestured to the shroomish emphatically. I was clueless.

And finally, the shroomish gazed up at me and spoke.

"I am not a 'little guy'! I'm a girl!"

Astonished, I stammered, "Y-you can t-talk?"

The shroomish nodded haughtily. "Obviously. I taught myself by listening to the Petalburg citizens talk to each other. The human language is simple, compared to my own language."

I was impressed. "Wow. So, what should I call you?"

The little mushroom shrugged. "I didn't really have a name, but this little girl used to come out to the forest and play with me. She called me Vanellope because she said I reminded her of a character from a movie."

"Okay, Vanellope. Hey, do you think you can teach Finley to talk, too?"

Vanellope made a noncommittal gesture. "Maybe. But on two conditions."

It was pretty humbling to be told the conditions of an agreement by a pokemon. Vanellope continued, "First, you have to help me become a breloom. Do that, and I'll help you on your journey. Secondly, there are some sinister people in the forest right now, and I'm worried that they'll harm my family. Will you drive them off for me?"

The terms seemed reasonable enough, so I agreed without hesitation, and then Finley, Vanellope, and I set off through the woods once again. We had only been walking for a short time when I heard a scuffling and some muffled cries. Vanellope looked up at me worriedly.

"Don't worry." I assured her. "We'll get rid of whoever it is."

As we rounded a bend in the path, we were met with an odd view. A man dressed in a black and white striped shirt and blue pants adorned with white circles stood menacingly over a well-dressed man in a suit. A bandanna covered the strangely-dressed man's head.

Vanellope nudged me. "That's the man!" she whispered urgently. I nodded back and signaled for her to stay quiet and listen.

The man in blue spoke in a low, threatening voice. "Now, you're going to give me the Devon Papers, or I'll order my pokemon to attack you. Your choice." The suited man trembled, and seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I couldn't let him get hurt. "Go, Vanellope!" I shouted, and the shroomish leaped out to face the threat. I followed suit, with Finley on my heels.

The man looked off-guard. Then, he pulled a pokeball off his belt. "So…you want to tango too, huh? Okay!" He threw the ball to reveal a poochyena. I felt a pang for Zafrina before I told Vanellope to attack, quickly scanning her entry in the pokedex for attacks.

The poochyena snarled, and I immediately felt all guilt leave me. This pokemon was nothing like Zafrina. She had been warm and loving, and solid in battle yet compassionate, not harming the opponent more than was necessary to ensure victory. This poochyena was bloodthirsty, saliva dripping from its bared fangs, and I found myself concerned for Vanellope's well-being.

"Vanellope, absorb!" I commanded after scanning her pokedex entry. The mushroom pokemon stood motionless, eyes clenched shut, and focused. Several green orbs left its body and struck the poochyena, draining its energy. As the orbs returned to Vanellope, they sank into her body, and she simply flowed with vitality.

The poochyena looked tired, but sprang forth with a tackle. Vanellope, however, was hardly affected; she did not fall backward, but braced against the hit."

I told her to counter with a tackle, and she did, effectively knocking the pokemon out. The man looked angry, recalling his pokemon and shoving hands in his pockets.

"You may have won this time," he sneered, "but hey, we Team Aqua are after something in Rustboro. Don't interfere if you want to be safe." With that, he turned tail and fled. I helped the well-dressed man up, and he brushed dirt off his impeccable suit.

"Thank you, miss." he said fervently, eyes brimming with gratitude. "If you hadn't shown, I don't know what he would've done…"

I smiled. "No problem." Then, Finley nudged me, and I looked down to see the mudkip with uncharacteristic worry in his eyes. Then he gestured to the exit of the forest.

"Oh, yeah! That guy said they were after something in Rustboro!" I realized. "We have to stop them!" Not receiving a reply, I turned to the man, only to see him cuddling Vanellope, who looked uncomfortable.

"I loooove shroomish!" he cooed. I crossed my arms, annoyed.

"Hellooo? We have to go to Rustboro because that guy is going to wreak havoc?"

The man stopped. "They're going to attack Devon Corporation! They're after the pokenavs!" The man hyperventilated, fisting his hands at his sides. "It's a crisis! I can't be wasting time!" With that, he turned and ran toward the exit, disappearing around a corner.

I sighed, looking down at my two pokemon. Vanellope was looking unnerved, and Finley's orange cheeks were twitching with amusement.

I wasn't worried about rushing to Rustboro to stop Team Aqua. As far as I was concerned, the three of us would stop them easily, considering how slow that grunt was.

Picking up a great ball that the Devon representative dropped, I headed toward the exit, Finley and Vanellope at my side.

"Thank you." Vanellope murmured. "You saved my family." I looked down to see something different than her perpetual scowl. She was smiling up at me adoringly.

I shrugged modestly. "It was all you, Vanellope. You fought him off." The shroomish smiled, blushing. Finley nudged her, smiling devilishly and muttering something, and she blushed further.

For the second time, I felt like we were a family, and I felt another pang for Zafrina. We reached the exit, and Finley and I turned, looking back into the forest. Vanellope eyed us curiously, but said nothing.

I glanced at Finley and saw sadness in his eyes, but also acceptance. Looking at the verdant nature of the forest and the leaves spiraling to the ground, I whispered, "Good bye, Zafrina. Rest in peace." Finley made a noise of assent, and wordlessly, the three of us turned away from the forest, Zafrina's sanctuary, and continued on our journey.

/

**Shout-out to my sole reviewer, supersexyghotmew95! You're awesome, thanks for the support!**


	4. Chapter 4

_chapter four_

_/_

As we departed the overgrown forest, Finley, Vanellope, and I were greeted with the welcoming sight of a metropolitan hub. Rustboro. It reminded me of my hometown, Goldenrod.

Vanellope, who had never seen such a large city despite her close proximity, looked around in wonder. Finley was equally enthralled. And, really, I couldn't blame them.

Rustboro had tall skyscrapers, wide, busy streets, and elaborate architecture. It was an old city; established even before the region had become banded together. The style of buildings were classic, with elaborately-decorated arches and flying buttresses. It was a beautiful city, and I could see why so many people flocked to this destination for vacations.

The tallest skyscraper jutted high into the sky. The façade was emblazoned with a pokeball design and a large 'D' in bold font. I had no doubt that this was the Devon building.

Walking toward it, I was suddenly blindsided by a green blur, which knocked me down to the cement. Finley growled, and Vanellope hopped onto his head, barking out a warning.

The blur stopped moving, and stood looking up at me, sheepishly scuffing one foot on the ground. It was a treecko.

"Hey! Treecko!" yelled a voice, and I turned. Astonished, I saw Brendan, who was racing up the street toward me. The gecko turned, and walked bashfully toward its master.

Brendan stopped in front of me, gasping for air. "Th-Thanks!" he breathed.

I looked down at the treecko. "What happened?" The pokemon blushed.

Brendan, who had caught his breath, chuckled. "I was teaching him quick attack. I guess he didn't know how to stop."

I shook my head. "Yeah, he blindsided me." The treecko muttered an apology, blushing further, and I smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it." The gecko smiled in return, and turned away to talk to Finley and Vanellope, who was still sitting on Finley's head.

I turned to Brendan. "So, what's up?" I asked. "When did you get into Rustboro?"

"Well, I got here a couple days ago. I've been training up my pokemon before I challenge Roxanne." he replied.

"Roxanne? Who's that?" I inquired. Brendan looked incredulous.

"Really? You have a gym leader dad and you don't know who Roxanne is?"

I glared at him until he conceded. "Fine. Roxanne is the gym leader of this town. She specializes in rock-types. She gives out the first badge." He looked at my pokemon, who were playing with his treecko. "Your pokemon should have no problem. They're both strong against that type."

I smiled. "Lucky us."

Then, our fun little reunion was interrupted by a loud explosion. Brendan gulped and pointed to something behind me. I spun to see the Devon building billowing gray smoke.

I had forgotten all about Team Aqua.

Whirling on Brendan, I shouted, "Brendan, come on! We have to go beat Team Aqua! They've infiltrated Devon!"

With the other trainer on my heels, I raced toward the Devon building. As we ran down the streets, we were slowed by an influx of people heading in the opposite direction. I grabbed Brendan's hand so I wouldn't lose him in the throng. His treecko hopped up onto his shoulder, and I looked vainly around for my own pokemon.

"Finley? Vanellope!" I yelled, whirling in each direction, but they were nowhere to be found. Then, I heard a chirp in front of me. I turned to see Finley urging me onward. Vanellope was sitting on his back.

Relieved, I followed them to the Devon building, where some grunts were patrolling the door. When one saw me, he nudged the other guy and muttered something. They both folded their arms as we approached.

"You shall not pass!" bellowed one of them. I snorted and turned to Brendan.

"Shall we double-date?" I asked nonchalantly. Brendan smirked back.

"We shall." With that, his treecko leaped off his shoulder, and Vanellope jumped off Finley's back to stand side by side, facing off against the grunts. The grunts each withdrew a pokeball off their belts.

"Go, Zubat!" one yelled, and the other yelled, "Go, Carvanha!" A dark blue, bat-like pokemon burst out of the first ball, while a blue and red piranha-like pokemon surged out of the second.

Immediately, the carvanha flopped over onto its side, trying to right itself, but it wasn't in the water, so it couldn't do much.

Brendan yelled, "Treecko, use leer!" His treecko stood tall, and narrowed his amber eyes, giving a hard glare to the opponents. The zubat screeched, unnerved, and the carvanha's eyes widened. I told Vanellope to use absorb, and she did her thing, causing the carvanha to faint due to its grass weakness.

The zubat flapped its wings angrily, and then lunged forward, sinking its teeth into Vanellope and sucking its blood. My shroomish yelled in pain, and Brendan's treecko growled. The gecko leaped forward, hitting the zubat with an uppercut and dislodging its grip from Vanellope. The little mushroom gave Treecko a grateful glance before rounding on the zubat, tackling it to the ground.

The zubat struggled, then relaxed, slipping into a faint. The grunt recalled it, giving me a fearful glance.

"You may have won," he blustered, "but you won't defeat all of us!" With that, he and his cohort fled into the building.

I turned to Brendan. "Want to team up with me?" Brendan grinned.

"Sure. But, if I had said no, I think our pokemon would've forced us, anyway." He gestured, and I looked at Vanellope and Treecko. My shroomish was chatting with the treecko in pokemon language, and the gecko laughed, nudging it playfully. Finley was looking on, a dark expression in his eyes. He sniffed and turned away haughtily.

"Looks like your mudkip's a little jealous. Let me help." Brendan offered. When I nodded, he enlarged a pokeball and dropped it on the ground. A blue, ball-shaped whale pokemon appeared, shooting a geyser out of its blowhole.

Finley immediately turned to it, fascinated. Soon, the two of them were chatting it up like old friends.

"It's a wailmer. I caught it with my fishing rod before I went into Petalburg Forest."

I was impressed. Brendan had pokemon that I had never experienced before. And, they looked strong. The wailmer's rubbery skin shone, gleaming in the sun.

"We should hurry." urged Brendan. "Got to apprehend those grunts." He turned to the pokemon. "Guys, I know you like your new friends, but we have a company to save, so we gotta go, okay?" The four pokemon nodded their assent, and so we entered the building.

After walking a few steps, a couple of grunts apprehended us, but Brendan's wailmer quickly dispatched their pokemon by bouncing like a ball and pressing them into the ground. We advanced to the second floor.

After the floorboards creaked dangerously, Brendan recalled his wailmer, and I recalled Finley to reduce the weight. The last thing we needed was to fall through the floor.

"I wonder what happened here." remarked Vanellope. Brendan looked astonished.

"Your shroomish can talk?" he asked incredulously.

"I taught myself." Vanellope said shortly before turning back to me. "Did they use a bomb?"

Vanellope's observation brought up some good questions. Just how powerful was Team Aqua? What were their motives? What did they want?

"I don't know." I admitted, shrugging at the little shroomish. She frowned. I could tell because her expression was different from the neutral frown that perpetually inhabited her countenance. The frown was deeper, and bemused. She looked like she was in deep thought.

As we climbed the stairs to the third floor, Vanellope gasped. "Stop!" she squeaked. Immediately, we halted, one foot hovering over a step.

"What is it?" I asked her. She looked frightened.

"I-I heard the Team Aqua guy say something when I was eavesdropping. He said he was going to booby-trap the building! If you step on them, the building will explode!"

Brendan frowned, thinking. "That explains the first explosion. A booby-trap was tripped." He tapped a forefinger on his chin. "Treecko, use your leer on the stairs."

The gecko turned, directing his gaze at the steps. Then, he murmured something, pointing at a step. Vanellope was quick to translate.

"He says that step is rigged. There is a wire that will trigger a detonator if you step on it. But that step is the only one that is a trap."

Brendan thanked Treecko, and all of us were careful to skip that step when advancing up the stairs. When we reached the third floor, we were met with an unusual sight.

A man dressed in all black, save for a blue bandanna, turned to us. I noticed idly that he was an attractive man, and I berated myself. _This is no time to be ogling!_ A scared-looking man stood next to him, dressed in a charcoal suit. He was old, as evidenced by his graying hair.

The attractive man smiled warmly at me. "Well, Amy, I was expecting you! My grunts told me all about you." He looked at Brendan, who was furrowing his brow. "And, who's this? I wasn't expecting another one!"

Brendan sneered. "None of your business."

The man looked offended. "Well, my name is Archie, and I am the leader of Team Aqua." He sniffed, feigning disdain, but he met my gaze, and I could see amusement in his eyes. "And, I already know exactly who _you _are, _Brendan! _You're the professor's son."

Brendan narrowed his eyes. "We don't have time for your games, Archie. We're here to get rid of you before you do further damage."

The Team Aqua leader smirked. "Get rid of me? Do you have any idea how powerful I am?" He put a hand into his pocket, exposing the glint of a pokeball. "Why,with just one pokemon, I could rip all of yours to shreds…"

"Enough." A cool, calculated voice came from the direction of the stairs, and we all turned to see a silver-haired man standing in the doorway. But, unlike the old man shivering beside Archie, this man stood tall, brimming with vigor and confidence.

Instantly, Archie's cool demeanor dropped, and he frowned. "Y-You!"

The silver-haired man strode forward. "Me. I suggest you leave. Now. Before I bring you immense-" A pokeball glinted in his fingers. "-damage…"

Archie backed away. "Now, let's not be hasty…" he purred. Then, he dropped a pokeball, releasing a big, bat-like pokemon. It crashed through the window, and Archie jumped through the hole and onto its back. I ran to the window, and Archie was already almost out of sight.

"Crap!" Brendan spat, and slammed a fist onto a desk. His treecko placed a comforting hand on his arm, and Vanellope looked concerned.

I turned to the silver-haired man, and was surprised to see him rushing toward me. I froze as he ran past me and released a pokeball of his own. A raptor-like pokemon screeched, and he clambered onto its back. As it flew away, pursuing Archie, I noticed that its feathers were metal.

I turned to the old man. "Who was that guy?"

The old man smiled, and I noticed his resemblance to the silver-haired guy. "My son." he said throatily. "He has been pursuing Archie for years, trying to bring him to justice, but Archie always evades him."

Then, the old man walked over to me, gently grabbing mine and Brendan's hands. "Thank you for saving us." he said fervently. "How can I ever repay you?"

Brendan, noble knight that he was, shook his head. "We don't need repayment, sir."

But the man insisted. "At least let me give each of you a pokenav. You can call people on it, and keep track of your pokemon's condition."

I smiled. "Okay!" I ignored Brendan's glare as the man gave us each a pokenav. "Here you go! I programmed my number on them. My name is Mr. Stone. Call me if there's anything you need."

I grinned happily, not believing my luck. I had a pokenav, and a Devon president in my corner! "Sure thing, sir!" I said blissfully. Brendan muttered a thank you, and we headed out.

As we stood on the street outside Devon Corporation the sunset giving everything an orange cast, Brendan turned to me. "Where are you going next?" he asked softly. I shrugged.

"I think we're going to challenge the gym leader, but first, I'm going to visit the routes beyond Rustboro, and see if I can try to find another addition to my party."

Brendan nodded. "I'm heading to Dewford to get the badge there, and then, I'll go to Slateport, across the sea."

"How will you get there? Is your wailmer strong enough to surf?" I asked.

"I'm going to ask this man named Mr. Briney. He's a veteran sailor that lives by Petalburg. I did him a favor once, so he agreed to help me out."

I shook my head. "So, maybe next time we meet, we can have a battle."

Brendan grinned. "Sure." And then, he pointed down, laughing. I glanced down, and his treecko and my shroomish were hugging goodbye. I chortled, and then Brendan looked up at me, his eyes unusually intense.

"Good bye, Amy." he breathed, and leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek. I felt my face go red, and Vanellope giggled.

Brendan turned away, and his treecko pursued after pecking Vanellope on the head. She blushed madly. I remained in front of Devon Corporation, watching Brendan walk away.

This boy was a riddle, no doubt about that. First Wally, then him. I wasn't sure what to think.

I released Finley, and he immediately walked over to Vanellope, huffing. He said something lowly, and she replied in her language. He narrowed his eyes and turned away.

"Hey, come on guys, what's wrong?" I asked curiously. Vanellope just shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"He's mad because Treecko kissed me." At her words, Finley snorted, hiding his face to conceal a small blush.

I laughed. "You like Vanellope, Finley?" The mudkip gave me a dark look and spat a small stream of water at me. I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, truce!"

The three of us laughed, and then I shucked my bag. "Guys, let's go to the pokemon center and rest for the night." I got murmurs of assent, and Vanellope hopped onto Finley's back. He grumbled but allowed her to remain there.

The three of us walked down the mostly vacant street as the sun set at our backs.


	5. Chapter 5

_chapter five_

_/_

After we left the center, the three of us passed through Rustboro into the next route, in search of a new addition to the party. After catching a whismur in Rusturf Cave, whom I dubbed Piper because of her loud set of pipes, I trained her up until she was at the same level as Finley and Vanellope.

And, finally, I set off for the gym. As I strode down the street, I looked for Brendan, but he was nowhere to be found. I was slightly disappointed, but Piper smiled brightly up at me, and I grinned in return before pushing open the gym door.

The gym was pretty simple. The floor was made of stone, with rocks of various sizes jutting up from the ground. I noticed a dark-haired girl standing on the other side of the arena. She was dressed in a school uniform, with a pleated skirt and a dressy shirt. Her hair was plaited into two braids.

"Are you Roxanne?" I called across the arena.

The girl stepped forward. "I am." she replied in a strong voice. I was surprised, because she barely looked older than me. Well, never judge a book by its cover, I guess. "This must be your first gym challenge, then." Roxanne acknowledged. "The rules are, I use two pokemon, and you can use as many as you want."

"Okay." I replied, stepping up to the edge of the arena. Roxanne duplicated my movement, and tossed forth a pokeball. A rock with eyes and arms appeared, making a gravelly sound in its throat. Piper looked up at me hopefully, but I shook my head. I wanted to play it safe. I had been looking at my pokedex about rock-types, and it said they often knew fighting-type moves, which normal-types like Piper were susceptible to.

I quickly decided on who would go out first. "Go, Vanellope!" I declared, and the little shroomish appeared, dancing in a cloud of pollen.

Roxanne commanded her geodude to use a move called rock tomb, and it beat the ground with a fist, sending rocks flying at Vanellope. She dodged one, but one struck her across the cheek, and she started to bleed. Worried, I ordered her to use leech seed, and she spat a seed. It planted on the geodude, where vines extended, ensnaring it in a death grip.

Roxanne narrowed her eyes. "Tackle." she commanded. Despite its discomfort, the rock pokemon lifted itself up onto its arms, flinging itself toward Vanellope.

"Vanellope, jump!" I implored, but I didn't have to tell her, for she jumped high into the air before I gave the command. My pokemon were getting smarter; they were using their instincts in battle to compensate for the gaps between my commands.

The geodude hit the ground hard, spitting dust, and Vanellope landed squarely on top of it. With a laugh of triumph, she used an absorb attack, taking all of the rock pokemon's remaining energy. As it collapsed in a faint, Vanellope hopped around the arena. "Yay! Yay!" she cheered.

If Roxanne was surprised at my shroomish's ability to speak, she didn't show it. With no discernible expression on her face, she recalled her geodude and threw another pokeball.

A large blue rock burst out of the ball and landed on the rocky ground, making the arena quake. Below its dark eyes was a bright red appendage that jutted from its face. It looked like a runny nose, yet it was made of rock.

I opted to use my pokedex for help. _"Nosepass, the Compass pokemon. It can only face the direction north due to the compass on its face. If two nosepass meet, they cannot turn to face one another due to the magnetic field."_

Perhaps I could use this to my advantage. "Keep going, Vanellope!" The shroomish gave me a confident nod before turning to the nosepass.

I quickly realized that this victory wouldn't be as easy as the one against the geodude. The nosepass could _levitate_. I chalked that up to its magnetic field. It shot with incredible speed toward Vanellope, and she tried to jump over it, but it headbutted her. To my surprise, it continued forward, and then levitated high into the air. Vanellope, clinging desperately to its nose, looked fearfully down at me. Fearing for her, I ordered her to do a leech seed in the hopes that she could secure herself to the nosepass.

No such luck. Before Vanellope could so much as spit the leech seed, the nosepass tipped over, sending her falling toward the ground. She screamed, colliding with the rocky ground with a sickening thump.

"Vanellope!" I screamed. "Are you okay?" For one horrible moment, she didn't move. Then, she weakly got to her feet. Scratches and cuts laced her body, but thank Mew she was alive!

I quickly recalled her, promising her a long rest. Then, I sent out Finley.

"Nosepass, rock throw!" Roxanne commanded. The compass pokemon slammed its sturdy arms against the ground. Rocks flew, and the nosepass caught one. Then, as if it was a pokeathlete baseball pitcher, it threw the rock at Finley.

Finley tried to dodge, but the rock caught one of the mudkip's legs, and he cried out. He landed on a nearby rock, and stumbled, his leg bleeding and bruised. Worried, I yelled, "Finley, do you need to come back?"

Finley looked back at me, and in his eyes was determination. He shook his head, and squared off against the nosepass again. I admired his courage, but I was worried that his leg would slow him down and sap his energy.

"Water gun, Finley!" I yelled, and he dutifully shot a torrent of water at the nosepass. The rock-type braced itself against the hit, but was still knocked back a few feet. It quickly righted itself and levitated above the ground. Then, sparks danced on its body, and it shot an electric shock at Finley.

Drat. The nosepass's magnetic field meant it could use electric-type attacks. I hadn't thought of that. And I couldn't recall Finley, his pride was riding on this battle.

As I stood there uncertainly, Finley glanced back at me and barked something. I watched him gesture to the nosepass, and then place a paw on his nose. I couldn't understand what Finley was trying to say, but I knew it had something to do with the nosepass's nose. I decided to let Finley take the lead I this battle.

"Just…do whatever you need to, Finley!" I shouted. My mudkip turned, baring his teeth at the nosepass. The nosepass rumbled. Was it laughing at Finley?

Finley sprang forward, and the nosepass shot forward, too. I expected them to collide head on, but Finley feinted and leaped over the nosepass. Before the rock-type could turn, Finley sent a barrage of bubbles at its back. The nosepass toppled forward, writhing in pain from the merciless attack.

When it fell forward, Finley jumped onto its back, burying its face in the ground. As the nosepass struggled to right itself, my mudkip kept spitting water at it. The nosepass struggled, then became motionless.

As Roxanne recalled her pokemon, Finley stood. Suddenly, he was bathed in a white light. Roxanne smiled. "Congratulations, he's evolving." she commended.

I watched as Finley became taller and stood up on two legs. His fins became bigger and split, his legs became longer, and his coloration changed.

As the light faded, Finley stood taller than my waist. His eyes, instead of the navy they had been, were now an amber color. His stomach was orange, and his fins were a grayish-black.

I rushed forward happily to embrace him. His skin felt like tire treads now, instead of rubber. I released my other pokemon so they could celebrate with us. Vanellope, who had recuperated a little, bounced forward, peering up at him, while Piper, who didn't know any of us very well, stood sedately next to her.

Finley detached himself from my grasp and moved away. He cast me a vexed look, crossing his newly-developed arms over his chest.

"What's wrong, Finley?" I asked, puzzled. He turned away from me.

Someone cleared their throat quietly. I looked around to see Roxanne standing behind me. She held out a small metal bit, and I took it.

"That is the Stone Badge. It raises your pokemon's attack. Also, take this." she added, handing me a small brown disc.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a Technical Machine, or TM for short. It teaches your pokemon moves, but you can only use it once. This one is rock tomb, a move that all my pokemon know."

"Thank you." I said, taking the disc and tucking it into my bag. I figured I'd teach it to one of my pokemon later on.

The rock gym leader smiled. "Good battle, by the way. You used strategy to aid you, and that kind of mindset will help you in the battles to come." She glanced at Finley, who raised his chin in defiance. Roxanne grinned, looking back at me.

"Most pokemon have a streak of pride after they evolve, and it looks like your marshtomp is no different. Expect him to be disobedient for a few days, but once he loses a battle or something, he'll get all humble again." Of course she must have seen this kind of thing a lot. She was a gym leader.

"Are all pokemon like that when they evolve?" I asked, worried. The last thing I needed was more defiant pokemon. I didn't want a cheeky Vanellope or an even louder Piper.

Roxanne shook her head. "No. It depends on the personality. Some just become more humble, others become quieter. In fact, I had this guy about your age show up the other day. He sent out a treecko against my pokemon. At the end of our match, it evolved, and it just acted aloof."

My eyebrows raised in surprise. "Was his name Brendan?"

Roxanne looked startled. "Yes. So, you must know him then."

I nodded. So Brendan was taking the gym challenge, too…why didn't he tell me? Banishing the thought from my head, I said to Roxanne, "Thanks for everything. I'll be leaving now."

"No problem. And, hey, let's exchange numbers so we can have a rematch sometime." So we swapped pokenav numbers before I went on my way.

I walked down the street, my three pokemon next to me. The town was bustling once more, and I quickly clutched Finley's hand so he wouldn't get caught in the horde. He hissed and jerked his arm away, ignoring Vanellope's critical look.

I quickened my pace, and grabbed Finley's arm again, pulling him down a side street that was less crowded.

"Now, look." I said, facing him. He gave me a patronizing look, crossing his arms again. I continued on. "Just because you evolved does not mean you can treat your trainer and your teammates the way you are. You're acting very immature, and I don't know what's gotten into you! You were such a happy, nice mudkip. What changed? Why are you so hostile toward me?"

Finley muttered something. I noticed that he now made no effort to speak in a language I could understand. Luckily, Vanellope was there to translate.

"He said that you never know the right things to do in battle, and he had to figure out everything. He said that you aren't worthy to be his trainer; you're not good enough."

A wrenching pain tore through my heart. I…wasn't good enough for my marshtomp? "Finley…I…" I trailed off, and he snorted, turning away from me.

Piper, seeing the tears filling my eyes, did something I never expected a timid whismur to do. She stepped right up to him, staring him right in the face, despite the fact that he was almost twice her height. He growled a warning, but she narrowed her eyes. Opening her mouth wide, she blasted a sound wave so powerful, it knocked Finley backward.

My marshtomp got up, snarling. But Piper held her ground, yelling something at him that I couldn't decipher. Once she gestured toward me, and Finley met my gaze. I flinched at the distaste in his eyes. He took a step toward her, and she gave a little growl of her own, trying valiantly to intimidate the bigger pokemon.

Before things could get ugly, I recalled Finley. "I'm disappointed in you." I whispered to his pokeball, and the red-and-white sphere quaked slightly. I attached it to my belt and turned to my two other pokemon.

Vanellope looked dejected. Finley and her were friends, and for him to blow her off like that was painful. Piper, however, looked angry. Her little paws were clenched into fists, and her mouth was drawn into a deep grimace.

I sighed. I may have won the badge, but I lost my first partner's respect and support.


	6. Chapter 6

_chapter six_

_/_

With Piper and Vanellope at my side, I trekked back through Petalburg Woods, my team easily deflecting any attacks by the local pokemon. I had opted to leave Finley in his pokeball. Hopefully he would fume for a while and let off steam.

I was still puzzled at his behavior. Why would he be mad because I let him take some initiative of his own? I knew he was getting smarter in battle, and I didn't feel the need to guide him every step of the way, figuring his instincts would aid him. This really wasn't working out for me. I had no idea how to gain his respect again, and the loss of my strongest pokemon's support meant I had to train up the other two to evolve and pick up the slack.

"Can you maybe talk to him and get him to cooperate?" I asked Vanellope.

The shroomish frowned up at me, and I suddenly realized that she had grown up a lot from the timid little shroomish she was. She had a scar up one cheek from Roxanne's gym, and she had almost doubled in size from the time when I caught her. Her legs were no longer stubs, but longer. I knew she would become a dual-type, part fighting, and her legs would aid her. No doubt she was close to evolution.

"I don't think so." she admitted. "I think this is something that you guys have to work out, and my interference would only slow the process. Just let him stew for a while, he'll come around."

I also noticed that Vanellope was using more complex language that she had when we first met. She was stringing together complex sentences with perfect grammar. I figured it was because she was spending a lot more time around humans than she had in the woods.

"You know you're a smart one, right?" I said affectionately, patting her on the head. Her head came up to about halfway between my waist and knee. She wasn't as tall as Finley, but she was getting there.

She smiled up at me. "I've been told before." We both laughed, and Piper looked at us curiously. The little whismur couldn't understand most of what we were saying; the pokedex said she was only about six months old. As we walked, I had been trying to communicate with her, but she only got the gist of it. She couldn't understand the more complex words, though. Despite her small stature (she only came up to my knee), she was an eager battler, blasting opponents backward with her sound waves. She was pretty close to evolving, and I figured she would always be on the small side.

We were on our way to Petalburg to talk to Brendan's friend Mr. Briney, and see if he could ferry us to Dewford and Slateport. I needed to get across the sea, and because Finley didn't know how to surf (and wasn't cooperating), I opted for a more unadventurous method.

As we walked, I suddenly saw a small makeshift wooden cross staked at the side of the path, and a flash of pain tore through my heart. Zafrina, my first caught pokemon, lay there. I stopped in front of the small shrine, Vanellope looking up at me understandingly. Piper walked on a few steps, but then, realizing we had stopped, backtracked to join us.

I decided to try explaining to the little whismur. "Piper…this is where one of my pokemon is buried. Her name was Zafrina, and she was a poochyena." Piper looked up at me, frowning. Then, she did something I never would have expected. She went over to a nearby bush and picked a flower. Then, she walked up to the grave, laying the flower on the patch of earth in front of the cross, murmuring a few words in her language.

I glanced at Vanellope to see her reaction, and was surprised to see tears well in her eyes as the little whismur spoke.

"What did she say?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb the serenity of the moment.

"She said, 'I never got to know you, Zafrina, but I know you were loved by Trainer. And, because Trainer loved you, then I love you. You protected Trainer, and I thank you for that. Rest in peace.'"

By now, tears were welling in my own eyes as I looked down at the little whismur paying her respects. Suddenly, a pokeball burst open on my belt, and Finley came out in a flash of white light.

The marshtomp, instead of looking surly, had tears in his eyes, and he knelt down next to Piper, in front of the grave. To my surprise, tears began to run down his face, and he bowed his head as they ran down his face.

I was stunned. I had no idea what kind of emotional attachment Finley had had with the poochyena. As Finley cried, Piper stepped closer to him, doing her best to embrace him with her stubby arms. I was wary that he would hurt her, but he hesitated, then placed one of his sturdy arms around her. Encouraged, Vanellope walked up to him, leaning against him supportively. Then, impulsively, I sat down next to him, embracing him from the side. I expected him to brush me off, but he allowed me to hug him.

We sat there for perhaps a quarter of an hour, mourning our deceased friend. Then, wordlessly, we all got up. We turned away from the grave and walked toward the exit. I decided to leave Finley out of his ball, since he wasn't acting surly.

As we exited the woods, I saw Petalburg in the distance. I was tempted to visit my father, but I resisted. The next time he would see me was when I would beat him for the badge.

I saw the shack that I recognized as Mr. Briney's at least from Brendan's descriptions. I started to walk toward it, and suddenly, a white blur shot out the door. It continued forward, ramming me in the chest, and a sharp point made me gasp in pain. Finley immediately reacted, tackling the thing and held it down as it struggled, squawking.

A grizzled old man flung open the door and moved toward us, stopping as he saw my marshtomp pinning the other creature. Mr. Briney, I assumed.

"Peeko!" he shouted, and, startled, my marshtomp stepped back. Peeko, a seagull-like pokemon, took to the air, lighting on the man's shoulder.

The man rounded on me. "Just what de yuh think yer doin, lassie?" he demanded. I quickly offered an explanation.

"Well, sir, I was walking toward your house because I was wondering if you would do me a favor and ferry me to Dewford, and your pokemon flew out the door and hit me. My marshtomp was just acting on instinct. I'm sorry if we offended you or Peeko." I finished politely, reckoning manners would get me somewhere.

Mr. Briney contemplated for a moment. Peeko chirruped something in his ear, and he seemed to come to a decision.

"Okay," he said gruffly. "I was meanin' t go t' Slateport anyway; I s'pose I can make a stopover in Dewford as well."

"Thank you, sir," I said fervently. And, with that, the old captain walked down to the dock and began to prepare the boat for takeoff, unhitching it from the posts. I observed for about ten minutes until he turned to me.

"Well, lassie, you comin'?" he said brusquely, but he gave me a small, teasing smile.

I started. "Yes, sir!" We rushed down the beach and hopped in the dinghy. Mr. Briney unhooked the last rope and got in himself. Peeko squawked as he started the engine, and I turned to the front, only to get a blast of seawater squarely in the face. Finley laughed, not unkindly. As I wiped salt out of my eyes, I grumbled, "Why don't we just laugh it up, huh?"

Finley smirked, rolling his eyes. I realized that he was being agreeable, for the first time in a few days. I deduced that Roxanne's prediction had been correct. However, it had not been a battle that had regained his respect, but the remembrance of Zafrina.

As the sea parted for our tiny but strong boat, I suddenly heard a ring. I looked around, puzzled, and Finley grunted, pointing at the pokenav on my belt.

Picking up the device and pressing a button, I held it up to my ear. "Hello?"

A deep voice responded. "Amy." Just with that one word, I immediately knew who was calling.

"Dad? How did you get my number?"

"President Stone called me," my dad replied. "He said that you saved the Devon building. That's amazing, Amy. I'm so proud of you."

I smiled a little bit, and Finley looked at me curiously. "Thanks, Dad. I have one badge now, on my way to Dewford to battle Brawly."

My father's voice was enthusiastic. "That's great, Amy! Pretty soon, you'll be challenging me for my badge! I can't wait until I get to battle my own kid!"

My own eagerness had taken a nosedive. "Yeah…well, Dad, I better go. I love you."

I hung up, and sat, thinking. Sure, it would be great to battle my dad, but what if he did to my pokemon what Cindy did to Zafrina? Or, if I did that to any of his pokemon? Dad loved all of his pokemon, especially his vigoroth. He would never forgive me.

Finley, sensing my unease, scooted closer to me and patted my leg with one fin. I looked at him. His amber eyes were darkened with worry, and his mouth was curved down in a frown.

I felt a rush of affection. "You know you're my best friend, right, Finley?" I said, and put an arm around him. He smiled, nuzzling into my shoulder.

The ride continued for another fifteen minutes without incident. Then, I saw a town on the horizon. I turned to Mr. Briney. "Is that Dewford?" The man merely nodded.

As we pulled up to the dock, we were mobbed by a crowd of people chanting something. As I listened, it oddly sounded like, "Golden Ratio!"

Sure enough, as we climbed onto the dock, we noticed people sporting Golden Ratio apparel. Finley glanced at me, unsure how to react.

A swarm of people mobbed me, and I glanced back to see how the old sailor was faring. To my surprise and panic, he was boating away, back to Petalburg.

I was trapped in this crazy town.

Turning away from the dock, I balked at the crazy look in the people's eyes. One woman grabbed me, and I noticed she was slightly cross-eyed. "You came from across the sea! What kind of trends lie there?"

The whole crowd suddenly went silent, waiting for my reaction, and I stuttered, "Well, uh…we do have these…um…"

And then I ran for it. I grabbed Finley's arm and we broke through the crowd, heading to the northern side of town. The mob pursued us, yelling, "TRENDS! TRENDS!"

We quickly passed the outskirts of town and Finley suddenly veered left, dragging me along. I let him drag me, and soon, we came to a cave. Without hesitation, Finley went inside. I paused, looking back. The crowd was about twenty yards away, so I quickly ducked into the cave, praying that the darkness would conceal me.

I seized Finley and tugged him behind a stone pillar to hide us. As the crowd reached the entrance, it milled around. Nobody wanted to set foot in the cave. Finally, with a collective sigh, they gave up, heading back toward town.

I gave a sigh of relief. "Whew, we lost them, Finley." Receiving no answer, I turned to look at Finley.

The marshtomp was gone. Instead, a yellow, plump pokemon was glowering at me with squinted eyes. It had blue fists, and its head had a curious knot on its head, like a punching bag.

The pokemon punched me, and I flew backwards, hitting a wall hard. "Finley, help!" I gasped.

Finley did not come to my aid. Holding my bruised stomach, I threw another pokeball. "Go, Piper!"

My small whismur appeared, blinding the pokemon with a flash of white light. As the pokemon covered its face, Piper opened its mouth and screamed. The sound waves made the pokemon fly backward, and it hit the ground hard, groaning.

I pulled a pokeball out of my bag and enlarged it, throwing it at the pokemon. It was sucked in and the ball hit the rocky ground, vibrating. Then, it became still.

I had caught it.

As I stepped forward, palming the sphere, I got out my pokedex and scanned the ball. The device told me that the pokemon I caught was a makuhita, a fighting-type pokemon, and that it was male.

I released the makuhita, and it squinted up at me distrustfully. Piper snorted derisively.

"Hello," I said, kneeling down at the makuhita's level. "We didn't hurt you too badly, did we?"

The makuhita responded by punching me in the shoulder. I cried out, and Piper started to dive forward, but I grabbed her by the middle, restraining her.

"Hey, makuhita," I tried again, "do you know where Finley, my marshtomp, went?"

The makuhita merely glared at me. I sighed. "Fine, don't help me." And I recalled the fighting-type.

Piper whined up at me, worried. I patted her on the head reassuringly. "Finley will be fine. He's a water-type, he can hold his own against these cave pokemon." But I was as worried as she was.

So we walked further into the cave, encountering pokemon like sableye and aron, which Piper was having trouble defeating. I recalled her after a particularly difficult battle with a fierce aron, and sent out Vanellope.

Impressively, the shroomish gained total understanding of the situation almost immediately.

"I wonder why Finley disappeared like that, though?" she mused as we walked. I shrugged in response.

"Maybe he was frightened by something."

We climbed up a ladder. Well, actually, I did, with Vanellope clinging to my backpack.

The second story was pitch black, and I couldn't see a foot in front of my face. Vanellope opted to perch on my shoulder instead of walking on the ground, where I could possibly step on her.

Then, I ran into something, hitting my face. "OUCH!" Vanellope gasped and leaped off my shoulder. I heard a metallic screech of pain, and Vanellope's battle cry. Then, footsteps resounded, moving away from us.

Suddenly, a flash of light lit up the cave. I was astonished to see Vanellope glowing. Her form tripled in size, and became a bipedal pokemon, with a long tail and large claws. A mushroom sprouted from her head.

As the light cleared, we were bathed in darkness, but I rushed forward, hugging her. "You evolved!" I exclaimed, elated. The breloom tentatively embraced me back, claws dancing lightly along my back.

"I suppose I did!" she laughed, moving away from me. "But let's focus on the task at hand; finding Finley."

"Heh, yeah…" I replied sheepishly.

We climbed another ladder, this time, Vanellope climbing independently, and reached the third floor.

This level was substantially more well-lit, and the first thing I noticed was Finley.

I started to rush forward when a man stepped up next to him. The man sized me up, crossing his arms over his chest. Finley glanced at him, then looked back at me.

I took a look at the man's icy blue eyes, and a shock jolted through my body.

I recognized him.


	7. Chapter 7

_chapter seven_

_/_

As I met the man's blue eyes, I realized I recognized him.

_"Enough." A cool, calculated voice came from the direction of the stairs, and we all turned to see a silver-haired man standing in the doorway. But, unlike the old man shivering beside Archie, this man stood tall, brimming with vigor and confidence._

"You." I said. The man smiled down at the marshtomp next to him and patted his fin. Finley looked up at him uncomfortably, but endured the babying.

"Me."

I took a step forward. "Who are you?"

His blue eyes glinted as he smiled. "I have been called many things."

I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. "Why won't you give me a straight answer?"

"Why do you insist on knowing who I am?"

Finley frowned up at him, then walked back over to my side, leaning against my leg. I scratched him at the base of his head fin as I spoke. "Well, Archie seemed to be afraid of you. I mean, he ran away immediately after he saw you. You must be a powerful trainer."

He laughed, leaning against a large rock. "You could say that." Then, his expression became serious. He pushed away from the rock and took a couple of steps forward. I tensed, but Finley grasped my hand reassuringly.

"You can call me Steven." The man stepped forward once more, until he stood about two feet away. He held out his hand for me to shake.

I inwardly sighed. Finally, a straight answer. "I'm Amy," I said, shaking his hand. It was cold and his handshake was surprisingly hard, like a stone.

Steven took a pokeball out of his pocket. "You don't mind if I let out my metagross, do you?"

"Nah." It wasn't like I had any idea what a metagross was, anyway. Steven threw the pokeball, and a bulky, metallic, spider-like pokemon appeared. It towered above Steven's head. Two red eyes peered down at him, and a large cross marked most of its face.

The metagross suddenly levitated, its four large limbs tucking into its body as it did so. I could see the waves of psychic energy underneath it. I figured it was using a magnetic field to levitate, because such a heavy pokemon couldn't fly on its own.

Steven nimbly jumped onto his metagross, seating himself on its flat head. "I have to be going. I know we will meet again, that is, if you keep training." He smiled to himself.

"Uh, yeah. Okay." I said awkwardly. "See ya."

The metagross started to fly away, but Steven placed a hand on its cold exterior, stopping it. He turned back to me, tossing me something. I instinctively caught it and examined it. It was a disc-like object, like the one Roxanne had given me.

"It's the TM Steel Wing, my favorite move. Try it out on one of your pokemon, it's a powerful move. Assuming you have a flying-type."

I said my thanks, and he raised a hand in farewell before his metagross flew away.

I looked down at Finley, who had an unfathomable look on his face. "Why did you run away?" I asked the marshtomp.

He frowned and shook his head. He pointed at the direction that Steven had gone, and raised two hands to shoulder-height, as if he were warding off something.

"You…want me to stay away from Steven? Why?"

Finley shook his head as if to end the matter, and then gave me a desperate look before attempting to speak for the second time. After struggling with some of the words, he looked frustrated and pointed at my belt. I immediately understood.

"Go, Vanellope!" As my breloom appeared, Finley looked stunned. He hadn't seen her as a breloom before. He grinned at her and said something, which she rolled her eyes at.

"Vanellope, can you translate for me?"

She nodded and waited for him to speak. He did, hesitantly, with much stuttering and uneasy murmuring. Finally, when he was done, Vanellope turned to me.

"He said that he saw that guy do something bad. A trainer was hitting their pokemon, and he walked up and punched him. The other trainer set a pokemon on him, and he sent out a metal bird."

"His skarmory," I mused.

"Yes. And the skarmory ripped both of them apart! Finley heard the sounds of a flying pokemon, and he knew they didn't sound like zubat, so he went to investigate and saw the whole thing!"

"So why didn't he kill Finley, if only to keep him from telling me?"

Vanellope turned to Finley, who shakily gave an answer. "He knew Finley would tell you. He heard his thoughts through his metagross. Even though it was in its pokeball, it relayed Steven's thoughts to Finley, because it doesn't agree with what he does. Only his skarmory likes to kill. Anyway, he wanted you to know because his metagross made the mistake of telling him that you would become powerful and defeat him. He wanted you to attack him before your party was ready, so he could rip us all apart."

Finley shivered and hugged himself. My breloom walked forward, comforting him. She was as tall as he was now.

I was seeing red. I had done nothing to Steven, and he had plans to murder me and my pokemon simply because of a hunch? Then, I stopped being angry and started being scared.

I had seen his skarmory; it was insanely strong. Why else would Archie have been so frightened. And his metagross, it had to be powerful, no wild pokemon dared to attack it. And rare. I mean, I had never heard of one. And, who knows what other kinds of pokemon Steven had?

I was terrified. With any one of his pokemon, Steven could crush me and my party like a twig.

And that's when I resolved to train until I didn't have to worry. In retrospect, I had only been moseying along on my journey, winning my first badge by sheer luck. That would change. I would train my pokemon hard, running drills and using TMs to strengthen them.

I would take the gym challenge.

/

As we walked out of the cave, the mob rushed toward us. They had been hiding under the sand, apparently. But, my pokemon and I had been training in the cave. I released Ralph, who immediately got into a fighting stance.

"Ralph, sand attack!" Ralph lunged forward and began to punch the sand, sending up a cloud of dust. As the crowd looked around, dazed, I tugged my makuhita's arm and we rushed past the befuddled horde.

We walked into town. Town, meaning a couple of small primitive huts and one large building, the gym. It was built from bamboo and straw, which surprised me. What if a fire pokemon was taken to the arena? As I puzzled over that, a blue-haired surfer dude sauntered out of the gym.

"Dude…you here to battle for the badge?" The surfer dude asked.

"Uh…yeah. What's it to you?" I replied. The surfer guy smirked, opening a closed fist to reveal a badge. He flashed it tauntingly at me.

"I'm the leader, dude. Brawly's my name, fighting-types are my game!"

Trying to ignore this blatantly cheesy dialogue, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Then I challenge you!" Ralph punched a fist into his open hand. "Maku!"

Brawly laughed good-naturedly. "Good! I like to see some enthusiasm!" Then he turned and walked back toward his gym. "Then I'll be waiting for you in the back of my gym," he threw over his shoulder as he disappeared into the building.

Before going to the gym, I took my party to the center to have them recover. It only took a half hour for the nurse to page me over the intercom.

After I got them back, I called them all out. Vanellope and Finley immediately vied for one of the armchairs, while Piper simply hopped onto the coffee table and sat down. Ralph began to shadowbox vigorously.

"Okay, guys…" I said, but none of my pokemon were paying attention. Piper was glaring at Ralph, who had accidentally punched her. Finley and Vanellope were still fighting over the chair.

"GUYS!" I yelled, attracting their attention, as well as the attention of everyone else in the center.

"As you know," I continued, calmer, "we are going to challenge the gym. But, we aren't just going to rush into it like we did with Roxanne. We have to strategize."

"Finley, Vanellope, and Ralph will fight, but Piper will have to sit out because of her type disadvantage." Piper growled and glared up at me, her paws balled into fists.

"It's for your own good, Piper! I don't want you to get hurt." The whismur gave me a dirty look, then turned away, pointedly ignoring me. I sighed.

"Okay, guys, it's time to go." I recalled them all and walked out of the center.

The gym was completely dark when I walked in. In the slight light that infiltrated the building when I opened the door, I saw a bespectacled man look over at me, glasses glinting in the low light.

As the door swung shut behind me, a flashlight lit up. The bespectacled man was holding it. He offered it to me and said, "Greetings, challenger. Take this torch and find your way to Brawly, but be warned. Enemies lie in the overpowering darkness, so keep your guard up." Maybe this guy was where Brawly got his cheesy dialogue. I thanked the man and walked deeper into the gym, holding the light in front of me to illuminate my path.

As I walked, something leaped at me, and I screamed. The thing stopped and I shone my light on it. It was a person. He held out a pokeball in challenge. "Battle me!" Of course, Brawly would have gym trainers.

I quickly dispatched his meditite with the help of Ralph, and continued on my path. After encountering some other trainers, whom I quickly defeated, I reached Brawly.

He was tossing a pokeball up and down, waiting for me. "Heh, took you long enough, dude!" He remarked.

"Let's just get this started," I growled, tired of Brawly and his cheesy dialogue and calling me 'dude' when I was so obviously a girl.

Brawly smirked. "Fine." He threw the ball and a small, gray, muscular pokemon appeared. It flexed its muscles and then stood motionless in the center of the arena. I sent out Finley, who growled at the other pokemon before crouching on all fours.

"Machop, bulk up!" Brawly ordered, and the pokemon flexed. Its muscles seemed to increase in size, and it grew taller.

"Finley, tackle!" My marshtomp lunged forward, colliding with the machop. It held its ground against the larger Finley, however, and grabbed him by the legs. Brawly smirked.

"Seismic toss!" The machop flung Finley into the air, then, while my marshtomp was falling, leaped into the air and kicked him, sending him flying into the wall.

Finley hit the wall with a shriek and toppled facedown to the ground. There was a mark where he hit the wall, and bits of broken bamboo rained down on him. He struggled to get up, but his legs shakily collapsed under him.

"Finley, return," I said, recalling him into his pokeball. I was worried. Brawly's machop had taken out my strongest pokemon. I decided to send out my second-strongest.

"Vanellope, go!" My breloom appeared. She glanced over at the mark on the wall, seeing Finley's blood. Her mouth contorted in a snarl, and she readied her claws to attack. The machop lunged forward, kicking her in the calf before she could react. A loud crack resounded through the gym, and she screamed in pain.

As the machop sprang back, Vanellope stood shakily on one leg, holding the other off the ground. She raised her claws, waiting for a command. It broke my heart to make her keep battling, but I couldn't have two pokemon lose to Brawly's first.

"Use stun spore!" Vanellope shook her head vigorously, sending a cloud of yellow dust settling over the fighting-type. It shivered and then stiffened, finding it difficult to move.

"Vanellope, use mach punch!" I commanded desperately. The breloom rushed forward, hopping on her good leg. She hit the immobile machop and pounded it into the ground, where it fainted.

Brawly, still smirking, recalled it and threw another pokeball. A meditite appeared, hovering above the ground. I looked at Vanellope, who was madly trying to stay standing and put on a brave face.

"Return, Vanellope, you did a good job." The breloom gratefully went back into her pokeball, and I sent out Ralph. The makuhita started to shadowbox vigorously, then raised his fists and assumed a fighting stance.

"Meditite, bulk up!" Like the machop had, the meditite flexed, and its muscles grew in size. It stopped levitating and got to its feet.

"Ralph, arm thrust!" I said, and my makuhita jumped toward the meditite, extending its arms. It began to hit the other pokemon with open-palmed hits. The meditite stumbled backwards, trying to protect its face.

"Meditite, focus!" Brawly yelled, and the pokemon stopped moving, bringing its fists up in a fighting stance. It closed its eyes and remained motionless.

Confused, I ordered Ralph to bulk up. He flexed his muscles, increasing his attack and defense.

Brawly finally ordered, "Meditite, focus punch!" The meditite snapped its eyes open, bringing a fist forward with surprising force, hitting Ralph squarely in the face. Something snapped, and Ralph slumped forward. I could see blood staining the floor.

"Ralph!" I screamed, but the makuhita was motionless. The meditite turned away decisively and levitated again. Brawly looked ashamed.

"Hey…dude, I'm sorry…" he murmured. But I was beside my poor, dead makuhita, cradling his broken head. His face was smashed in.

Ralph, the eager fighter. Ralph, the punchy one,the comic relief of my team, was dead.

"You killed my makuhita!" I screamed, and, in a rage, threw my last pokeball. Piper appeared, looking confused, and her eyes settled on Ralph's broken body. Her eyes widened, and she placed a paw over her mouth.

"Get the meditite!" I commanded, and the whismur's eyes locked onto the hovering meditite. She opened her mouth and let out the strongest uproar I had ever witnesses from her. The meditite flew backwards, colliding with the ground. Blood streamed from its ears, and it stood, dazed. It remained on its feet for a few seconds, then toppled over onto its side.

"Return," Brawly said, and recalled the pokemon. He was no longer smirking as he sent out his last pokemon.

A makuhita.

That action was the straw that broke the camerupt's back. I began to cry as I tried to command Piper to attack.

"P-Piper," I bawled, "use supersonic!" The whismur opened her mouth and let out a couple of sound waves. The makuhita stumbled around erratically.

Brawly started to shout an attack, but I beat him to it. "Use pound!" Piper ran forward and punched the makuhita in the face so hard its head snapped backward. It toppled to the ground and Piper continued to hit it. It squealed in pain.

"Okay, you win!" Brawly shouted, recalling the makuhita. He stepped up to me and started to say, "I confer upon you…"

"Cut the tauros and just give me the badge!" I snarled, snatching the badge from his hand and exiting the gym.

I ran to the pokemon center, desperate to get my pokemon healed. The male nurse took my pokemon, saying that Vanellope's broken leg would have to set overnight, but the rest would be ready in a couple hours.

I sat in the waiting room, alternating between staring at the clock and looking out the window. It was dark when the nurse came out of the operating room. He looked upset as he walked over to me.

"Miss…your marshtomp…"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I appreciate my sole reviewer, but it would be cool if some others would review to tell me what I'm doing wrong, offer suggestions, request OC's, etc. Yes, I will be adding a few OC's to this fanfic, both human and pokemon. So, read and review, because I'm like a freaky monster that feeds on reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but, I do own fourteen oddish on pokemon sapphire, all of which are named Mr. Odd. Even the females.**

**/**

_chapter eight_

_/_

"Miss…your marshtomp…"

I grabbed the doctor by the lapels, bringing him closer to me. "What?" I hissed. "What's wrong with Finley?"

The doctor cried out, and tried to back away, but I clung fast. He finally gave up trying to detangle himself and spoke.

"Your marshtomp will need an extra couple days in the infirmary. His back is hurt badly, but he should be okay."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I let go of the doctor. He straightened his clothes out and backed away from me. I didn't care if he was scared of me; I was just happy that Finley was okay.

I picked up the rest of my pokemon at the service desk. The nurse told me Vanellope couldn't battle for a few days because it would mess up the cast on her leg. Piper was just fine.

I noticed that she was turning a darker purple color rather than her usual lavender. She was close to evolving, though she hadn't grown much.

We buried Ralph just outside of the cave he grew up in. He would have liked that. Vanellope hobbled over to a nearby rock and punched it. It split into a few chunks, and she picked up one, carrying it over to Ralph's burial place. She stuck it deep in the sand, a makeshift headstone.

Piper gathered seashells and sea glass to decorate the grave. Finley wasn't present; he was still in the hospital, but he sent the kidney-shaped bowl he had gotten in the hospital. It had a flower planted in it.

I placed the flower on the grave. Then, I stood, backing away. "Well, Ralph…" I cleared my throat. "Ralph, in the few days that I knew you, you were a great pokemon. You were eager and determined, two traits that are highly valued in an individual. I regret that you couldn't have grown to realize your full potential…but I hope that you are happy now, wherever you are."

Vanellope was staring sadly downward, and Piper was wiping her eyes. I was not crying. I had not cried since Zafrina died, and I doubted I ever would again. But, people who said the first death hurts the most, were wrong. Each death hurt just as much as the last, you just learned how to handle your grief.

I gathered my friends around me, and we left Ralph's resting place without looking back. The mob didn't bother us anymore, they had become frightened of us after my loss of control in the battle with Brawly.

We went back to the center to visit Finley. As we entered his room, he was looking passively out the window, and I realized he could see Ralph's grave from it.

"How are you doing?" I asked him. He turned to me and murmured something.

Vanellope translated, "He's hurting a little bit, but he's okay. He watched us bury Ralph."

I turned back to him, and the marshtomp was looking up at me with an unfathomable expression. Then, he turned away, not meeting my gaze. Puzzled, I tapped Vanellope and gave her a meaningful look. My breloom hopped up on the edge of the bed and began to talk to Finley quietly.

I turned away and looked at Piper. The little whismur looked distracted, twitching her ears and muttering to herself.

"What's the matter?" I asked. She didn't answer, and a worried look came over her face. Then, her eyes grew wide and she started to shout.

Vanellope said, "There's a huge pokemon coming this way! It's going to collide with the hospital!" She jumped off the bed and ran over to the window. Finley turned and looked out, and Piper leaped onto the bed, chattering madly. I followed them over to the window.

Nothing was there.

I turned away. "Very funny, guys." Piper looked up at me angrily, then twitched her ears again. Hearing something, she bounded off the bed and out the door. Vanellope followed her, casting me a worried glance.

"Come back here!" I shouted, but they didn't obey. Angrily, I looked at Finley. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

The marshtomp looked troubled, but he nodded, and I sprinted out the door. I could see my two pokemon running down the hallway, dodging nurses and gurneys.

"Get back here!" I yelled, causing a few nurses to glare at me.

In retrospect, I should have realized they weren't fooling around.

Piper turned a corner, Vanellope on her heels. I heard them cry out, and when I turned the corner, I faced a bay window. Vanellope grabbed my wrist and gestured emphatically, and Piper howled.

I looked out the window, and was met with a terrifying sight. A huge, metallic snake was glaring at me through the glass, making me feel like the people in the car in _Jurassic Park_. It had a massive jaw, and eyes deep-set in its sockets. I could see spikes on some of the segments of its body. Its teeth were razor-sharp and stained. I knew it was large; it was peering at us through the third-story window.

"It's a steelix," Vanellope murmured quietly. "I saw a trainer with one, once."

"What do we do?" I asked her out of the corner of my mouth.

"We have to beat it. It's hungry and it won't leave unless it gets its fill." As if to prove her point, the giant steel snake focused on me, narrowing its eyes. It tapped its face lightly against the glass, making a small clang. Suddenly, a nurse rounded the corner. She spotted the steelix, and screamed, collapsing against a gurney.

The steelix reared back. Seeing what was coming, I grabbed Piper and clutched Vanellope's arm. I started to backtrack down the hallway.

And then the steelix rammed through the window. Shards of glass sliced us as we ran away from the behemoth. We passed the nurse, who was still swooning. The steelix forced itself forward, making the foundation creak, and closed its teeth over the nurse.

There was a scream and a spray of blood, and then silence. We turned the corner again, and the foundation trembled. Doctors and nurses hollered, grabbing pokeballs and rushing around.

I ran to Finley's room, and he was struggling to get out of bed, but his back was making him cry out in pain. I quickly grabbed his pokeball from the nightstand and recalled him, figuring he'd be safer there.

Shoving the sphere into my jacket pocket, I turned back toward the door…

…only to see the steelix glaring at me from the doorway. It had forced its head into the building, breaking through brick and metal to find me, for some reason.

I backed away and the steelix growled menacingly. I bumped into Piper, who gestured at the window.

"Not a chance in hell, Piper." There was no way we would survive a fall like that.

Vanellope gripped my arm. "There's no other choice." With that, my breloom punched the glass, which shattered on impact. The glass cut her fist, but she didn't seem to notice. She turned to me. "I'll hold him off, you guys jump. There's an awning you can bounce off of for a softer landing."

I picked up Piper and glared at her. "I'm not leaving you, Vanellope. We do this together, or not at all. Besides, you're injured. Your leg won't support you well."

The breloom glared back at me. "It'll work well enough." Then, she headbutted me. I fell backward out the window, Piper in my arms.

I hit the awning and bounced off, hitting the ground hard. Dazed, I got to my feet, bruises making me wince. I checked Piper to see if she was okay. Other than a bruise on her head, she seemed fine.

I gazed up at the center and saw the steelix's body sticking out of the building. I could hear growls and Vanellope's cries from the third floor. Anxious, I peered up at the broken window.

Suddenly, my jacket pocket started shaking. Then, the pokeball fell out of my pocket, and Finley appeared in a flash of white light. My marshtomp growled threateningly up at the steelix.

"Finley, no!" I cried. "You aren't fit to battle yet!" Finley ignored me, and sent out a stream of mud that hit the steelix's torso. I could hear the steel snake's roar of pain from within the building, and Vanellope yelled something in her language. There was a loud sound, like pennies hitting a metal container, and the steelix growled.

The steelix withdrew its head from the building, and I could see the damage that had been dealt. Its large head was deeply dented in several places, and some of its teeth were knocked out. The steel snake glared down at me, growling menacingly. Finley limped forward, narrowing his eyes at it.

The steelix reared back abruptly, then rammed its head forward. Finley tackled me out of the way of the steelix's body slam, and the steelix missed us by six inches.

A cry resounded from the third-floor window, and I glanced up to see Vanellope standing on the window sill. Despite her injured leg and her scrapes, she stood strongly, leering at the steelix. The breloom was looking angrier than I had ever seen her. Her claws were drawn and ready, and her teeth were bared in an angry snarl.

Vanellope leaped out of the window, shouting something as she fell toward the steelix. The steel snake lifted its head to look at her, and Vanellope clenched one hand into a fist as she fell headlong. The steelix started to rear up…and Vanellope's mach punch sank deep into its eye socket.

The steel snake screamed in agony, and tried to shake the breloom off, but Vanellope merely clung to it with the other claw. There was a ripping sound, and with a hooking motion, Vanellope ripped the steelix's eye out, where it hit the ground with a squish. Blood dripped from the screaming steel-type's eye socket, and Vanellope clung to its body with both hands. A green aura shone around her, and tentacles surrounded the steelix's head. My breloom's mega drain sapped the steelix's energy, and it sank to the ground, dazed and bleeding. Vanellope jumped down from the steelix's head, blood dripping from her claws, and walked over to me nonchalantly. Finley was staring at her incredulously, as was I.

Finally noticing our gazes on her, Vanellope looked up. "What?" she asked.

"Um…that was just…wow…" I stuttered. "You took down that huge steelix almost singlehandedly!"

My breloom shrugged. "It was still pretty young," she said modestly. "If it had been much older, I wouldn't have been able to beat it."

I looked over at the eye lying on the ground. "Um…" I hesitated, pointing to the eye. "Was that necessary?"

Vanellope looked guiltily over at the eye. "Sorry. I was angry that the steelix dared to attack a human. It's against the Pokemon Code."

"Pokemon Code?"

"The Code, "Vanellope explained, "is the pact between humans and pokemon for mutual agreement. In return for humans not capturing unconscious pokemon, wild pokemon will not attack humans."

"I see." We had learned a little bit about it in history class, before I left Johto. I looked over at the steelix. "Is it dead?"

Vanellope walked over to it, prodding it with a claw under the chin. Getting no response, she returned to me. "Yes. My claw must have gone into its brain."

Nurses and doctors were now evacuating the pokemon center, and, seeing the dead behemoth, made their way over to me, wary of my breloom's bloody claws. Soon, a mob had formed around me, murmuring things that I couldn't quite hear. Finley suddenly looked frightened, and I took him by the hand, comforting him. He muttered to Vanellope, and she suddenly shared the same look he did, scared. When she glanced up at me, she quickly controlled her expression into an emotionless mask.

The male doctor that had treated Finley approached me. "Your pokemon defeated this huge steelix?" He was incredulous as I nodded. He smiled and turned to the crowd.

"I say we reward this trainer for saving the center! She has saved all of us as well! We owe her much gratitude!" A round of applause rose up from the crowd, and I blushed.

"That's…really not necessary, sir…"

"Nonsense!" boomed the doctor. "Take these…" he said, thrusting a bunch of medicines and things into my hands... "on behalf of the hospital!"

"Uh…thanks…" I said, embarrassed. I dropped a super potion, and Finley picked it up for me, tucking it into my bag. "Thanks, Finley." My marshtomp smiled in return, but I could still see fear in his eyes.

I would have to figure out why my pokemon were so frightened.

/

**Note: I'm changing the title of this story from **_**locke and load**_** to **_**The Schism: Hoenn's Descent. **_**I think that title will better fit the novel, due to upcoming events. Dun duun duuun!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own this franchise, but, much like other things that do not belong to me, I'm trespassing anyway.**

_chapter nine_

_/_

I clung to Finley's back as he swam through the water, heading for Slateport. We had stayed in Dewford for a few days so Finley could recover from his injuries. Vanellope's leg was almost healed up, but she still had to wear the cast. After we had disposed of the steelix, my pokemon and I had helped the citizens of Dewford rebuild the hospital, repairing the destroyed areas. In thanks, the doctor had given me a surf HM, which I immediately let Finley use so he could ferry me to Slateport.

In all the commotion, I hadn't gotten a chance to ask Finley why he was so upset at the appearance of the steelix. Admittedly, a steelix on an island was unheard of, so it had to have been planted there by someone. But who?

Finley was oddly quiet as he stroked strongly toward the distant beach. I could see the peninsula on the horizon, with a few buildings dotted along the shore and further inshore. Slateport wasn't the gleaming metropolis Rustboro had been, but I had heard that it had some farmer's markets with rare goods. Luckily, I had a lot of money from my gym winnings. I had made sure to zip all of my stuff in waterproof bags before I got into the water, but my actual bag was going to be wet.

A few luvdisc passed us, chirping merrily at Finley, but my marshtomp ignored them, deep in thought as he ferried us.

"What are you thinking about, Finley?" I asked. He jerked, as if I had broken him out of his reverie. He glanced back at me, giving me a casual glance. Then, he shrugged and offered a sheepish smile.

"Okay," I allowed, "but you and Vanellope are going to tell me everything when we get to the beach." Finley sighed, but nodded, and we continued the rest of our excursion in relative silence.

As we set foot on the shoreline, I let go of Finley and wrung the water from my hair. Then, I opened my bag and rummaged around for my pokeballs. After opening one of my waterproof bags, I threw them to release Vanellope and Piper. I felt a little guilty because, in all of the hubbub, I had been neglecting my whismur a little.

As she appeared, Piper looked around. Seeing the white sand, she immediately began to build a sand castle. I couldn't help but laugh. Although my little whismur was growing up in some ways, she was still a happy-go-lucky child in others.

I turned to Vanellope and Finley, who refused to meet my gaze. I looked at them sternly. "Guys, you're not doing me a favor by keeping things from me. I'll probably find out later, in one way or another. Probably when another giant steelix is eating me. So, spill."

Vanellope hesitated, looking at Finley. When he nodded, she gazed up at me. "Well…the steelix, it wasn't exactly native to Dewford, as you may have guessed."

I nodded, and she continued. "I talked to Finley, and we think that it was the work of Steven. When we met in the cave, I smelled the scent of steel-type pokemon on him, meaning he trains them exclusively."

"So, Steven sicced the steelix on me? Why?"

Vanellope replied, "We told you. We think it's because he wants to eliminate anyone who may become stronger than he is. He wants to remain champion of the region because he holds the most authority."

"But you guys are only at like, level twenty," I protested. "We're no match for his skarmory."

Finley frowned and said something to Vanellope. My breloom looked at me and said, "Well, he saw that we made it to the top floor of Devon, beating all those trainers. Plus, he obviously saw how we defeated the steelix without much injury. Yeah, I think we can consider Steven a dangerous enemy."

Something had occurred to me. "Then, why didn't he kill me in Granite Cave?"

"The metagross convinced him not to." Vanellope was grimacing. "The metagross is against Steven's ideals, and he didn't want Steven to kill again, so it spoke telepathically to him, saying that it wasn't necessary, that it had used its future sight, and that you were going to be only an average trainer, never even making it past the Elite Four."

I processed all of that information for a while. I had only been spared by the metagross's kindness. If it hadn't spoken to Steven, I would be dead.

Deciding to push all of that from my mind, I turned to my pokemon. "How about we train for a while before we go to Mauville and challenge the gym leader there?"

I got assent from all of them, so I started Vanellope on running drills, Piper on physical attacks, and Finley sparring with a wild wailmer. The wailmer would bounce high above Finley, and my marshtomp would tackle it in midair.

Suddenly, Piper stopped short. "What's wrong?" I asked anxiously. The whismur said nothing, but glowed with a white light. She was evolving.

I watched as she doubled in size and her ears grew, resembling speakers. Her limbs lengthened and bulked up. When the light faded, a purple creature stood, coming up to my chest. Piper towered over Finley and Vanellope now, instead of being the smallest.

"_Loudred, the Big Voice pokemon. It uses the speakers on its ears to assail foes with ultrasonic waves," _the pokedex informed me.

I looked at Piper, who was stamping her feet on the ground. "What are you doing?"

The loudred responded by letting out a huge whoop that sent me flying backward into a sand dune.

"_It stamps its feet to charge up energy in preparation to release ultrasonic waves."_

"Oh…well let's not have any of that for a while, okay, Piper?"

"Loud!"

/

As we walked across the beach into the city, we were met with the sight of outdoor markets and busy vendors. Finley looked around excitedly, and grabbed my hand, pulling me to one booth.

"Well, hello, miss!" the vendor exclaimed. "I'm the Energy Guru! I'll go for it and sell you what you need!" He spread out an array of medicines in differently-colored bottles. Protein, Iron, Carbos, Zinc, and Calcium, they read.

I picked up a Calcium and turned to the vendor. "How much?" I asked.

"Ninety-eight dollars."

I inhaled sharply, hastily putting the vitamin back. "Not today, sorry." What on earth could be in that bottle, for it to cost that much? I decided to ask the vendor that.

"Well, it gives pokemon an energy boost. The Calcium you were holding raises a pokemon's special attack, meaning it boosts the power of non-physical moves." That did sound useful, but it wasn't like I had the money to buy them. I vowed to save up some money to buy some vitamins for my pokemon. The Calcium would be good for Finley's long-range water attacks, but I would have to buy Protein for Vanellope's and Piper's physical attacks.

"Thanks, anyway," I said to the vendor, and we walked further down the boardwalk. There was a girl selling dolls, a woman who was holding some ribbons, and a man who was skulking around, generally looking secretive.

"Hey, you," he said shiftily. "Do you…have the secret TM?"

"Uh…no," I replied, unnerved.

The man looked disappointed. "Well, if you do get it, I can sell you stuff…in secrecy," he finished, striking a pose that he must've thought was impressive. He was mistaken. Regardless, he had piqued my interest slightly.

"What kind of stuff?" I asked curiously, and he merely grinned and waved me along.

"That was strange," I said to Vanellope as we continued on our path, and she nodded absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought. I decided to let her be. We reached the end of the boardwalk, and I looked around for another place to explore. I saw a weird-looking tent, a building with a bunch of boat parts outside, and a bluish building that had a museum sign outside. I opted for the museum; I had always been interested in stuff like that.

As I walked in, my pokemon in tow, a lady to my right said, "Admission is fifty cents." Well, that seemed pretty reasonable, so I paid the woman. She looked strangely terrified, eyes wide and shrunken in upon herself. I decided not to comment.

The museum was filled with souvenirs from the seafloor, and posters with odd facts about the sea hung on the walls. Finley was looking around, immersed in the museum's attractions. I let him go off and look at a ball floating up and down in a vat of water. A recorded voice was explaining the buoyancy of various objects in freshwater versus saltwater. Piper went off to look at a replica of a luxury cruise ship in Kanto, and Vanellope and I went to look at some sand samples from each region.

As I pored over the samples, I noticed that Vanellope wasn't paying much attention to the exhibit. She was peering toward the stairs, her brow wrinked. "Do you want to go upstairs?" I asked her.

She jumped, seemingly startled. Then she responded, "Yes…I'd like that." I called to Piper and Finley. "Come on guys, we're going upstairs." Finley bounded after me, but Piper let out a small whine and pointed to the exhibit she was in front of.

"You want to stay down here?" The loudred nodded. "Fine," I conceded, "but don't break anything or cause trouble for the employees, okay?" Piper nodded and turned back to the exhibit.

Vanellope tugged my hand urgently, and dragged me toward the stairs. "Okay, okay, you don't have to rip my arm off!" I chided lightly. The breloom looked embarrassed as she let go. "Sorry."

We climbed the stairs, Vanellope bounding up them quickly, and Finley looked at her worriedly. I patted him. "I guess she's just eager to see the exhibits," I reassured, but he didn't look convinced.

By now, Vanellope had disappeared from view, and I heard some shouts of surprise, and my breloom yelled something I couldn't decipher. Figuring she had just frightened some poor tourists who weren't used to pokemon, I stepped onto the second floor, an apology on my lips.

It died away as the view unfolded before me. Two people in identical striped shirts and blue sequined pants were holding a struggling, middle-aged man between them. A couple of poochyena, apparently theirs, were growling menacingly at Vanellope, who was poised in a fighting stance.

The middle-aged man cried out, "Miss, help! They're Team Aqua!" Of course! I had seen those uniforms somewhere before, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

"So," I sneered, "what are your plans this time? After you guys failed in Rustboro, you really want to give it another shot? Team Aqua must be more numb-skulled than I thought!"

This had the desired effect, as the grunts ordered simultaneously, "Poochyena, attack!" The little hyena pokemon leaped at my breloom, aiming to bite her.

They never had a chance. Vanellope raised her fists, and, as the first poochyena came within range, she struck out, knocking it into the other lunging poochyena, sending them both tumbling. Both pokemon whimpered in pain, and the one that was directly hit by Vanellope's mach punch fainted. The grunt recalled it, and sent out a huge, bat-like pokemon. "Gol, gol!" it hissed. The poochyena sprang forward again and Vanellope headbutted it. While my breloom had her head bent, the golbat sprang into action. It latched onto Vanellope's neck and sank its teeth in. She screamed in pain as the golbat drained her energy. Alarmed, I turned to Finley to order him to help, but he was already in action. I watched as the marshtomp leaped forward angrily and tackled the golbat, dislodging its hold on Vanellope. My breloom sat down hard, dazed. I knew she was weak to leech life attacks, so I let her remain there. Finley was fine on his own.

My marshtomp sent a geyser of water straight into the golbat's mouth, making the bat sputter and choke. As the poochyena sprang once more, Finley, almost lazily, raised a bulky arm and swatted it to the ground, where it didn't get up. The grunt recalled it and didn't send out another pokemon. The golbat bared its teeth and took to the air again. It then flapped its wings quickly, and several sharp cracks sounded. Finley stared at it, and suddenly was knocked backward. As he righted himself, he was knocked down again. Small cuts appeared on his body.

Air cutter. The golbat's wings had broken the sound barrier and sent out sharp bursts of pressurized air that had cut Finley.

"Finley, use water gun!" The marshtomp quickly sent a spurt of water at the bat, and it fell to the floor, choking. The grunt was quick to recall it.

I stared at the two grunts as they restrained the middle-aged man. "Let him go," I threatened, "or I'll set my pokemon on you. I swear I will."

A cool voice spoke up behind me. "I believe that would be a lapse in judgment, as my mightyena would tear them limb from limb." I turned to see an all-too-familiar man standing in the doorway, twirling a pokeball on one finger.

The weird outfit. The poorly-executed facial hair. He was impossible to forget.

"Hello, Archie," I said coolly.


	10. Chapter 10

_chapter ten_

_/_

"Hello, Archie," I said coolly.

The Team Aqua boss smirked at me. "Funny I should see you here, Amy."

"I could say the same to you," I growled. He continued to smirk, leaning against the door frame. He continued to twirl the pokeball on his finger.

"I see you defeated my grunts. I expect you to recall your pokemon and leave like you never saw us, or-" He stopped spinning the ball and dropped it, revealing a large hyena with shaggy dark fur, "-my mightyena will tear them apart."

"My breloom has a type advantage. She's not going down so easily," I pointed out.

Archie laughed. "Well, I already took down your loudred without much trouble. My pokemon isn't even breaking a sweat."

A pang of fear shuddered down my spine. Piper. I had let her stay on the ground floor. "What did you do to her?" I snarled.

Archie merely looked smug. Angrily, I ordered my pokemon to attack. "Vanellope, mach punch!" As the breloom sprang forward, fist cocked, the mightyena lunged, closing its jaws over her paw. It crunched down, and Vanellope cried out as a loud crack echoed throughout the room. She balled her other fist and punched the mightyena in the side of the head. It shrieked in pain, releasing its hold, and she retreated, cradling her mangled paw.

I decided not to push her. "Vanellope, stay back, and Finley, go." My marshtomp stomped forward, taking a defensive stance. The mightyena howled before leaping at Finley, knocking him into an exhibit. Finley smacked it in the side of the head, in the same place where Vanellope had punched it. The hyena pokemon screeched in pain and scrambled away, and Finley leaped onto its back, crushing it underneath his weight.

Archie recalled it, that smug smile still on his face. It unnerved me. He twirled another pokeball on his finger before releasing it, revealing a zubat. It screeched and flapped its wings, keeping close to the ceiling.

I laughed. This would be ridiculously easy, I had just defeated a golbat. "Use water gun," I told Finley, and he obediently sent a geyser of water toward the bat. I expected the zubat to be hit, but it nimbly dodged the torrent. It chittered mockingly at Finley, and my marshtomp growled up at it.

"Supersonic, zubat," Archie commanded, and the zubat opened its mouth wide and sent out a ray of yellow light that hit Finley. I expected him to look hurt, but he merely looked dazed.

Shrugging at the seemingly ineffective attack, I told Finley to tackle it. My marshtomp paused, looking up at the zubat. Then, he tackled the floor, hitting his head on the marble floor with a thump. He sat up, holding his head.

I was confused. "Finley, why'd you do that?"

Vanellope, who was still standing next to me, replied, "The zubat used supersonic. He's confused."

Oh. That explained it.

The zubat dove toward Finley, clamping its sharp teeth on his arm. Finley screamed in pain, blood running down his arm. He tried to smack the zubat off his arm, but the zubat started sucking his blood, and Finley sank, exhausted.

This wasn't looking good. Vanellope couldn't fight with her mangled paw, and Finley was too tired to do anything. I desperately recalled Finley and looked at Vanellope. "I'm sorry, Vanellope, but you have to go in again."

The breloom nodded grimly and stepped forward. It still wasn't looking good on our side. With Vanellope's mangled paw, plus her type disadvantage, there was only a slim chance we would get out of this skirmish alive.

And then the doorway collapsed.

As a cloud of dust rose, Archie and I both turned to see a hulking shape crouched in the doorway. A very angry-looking Piper was standing there, fists clenched.

Piper was looking beaten-up, but still strong. Cuts and bruises laced her body, and one eye was swollen shut.

The zubat lunged forward, Finley's blood dripping from its teeth, and Piper reacted more quickly than I would've expected. The loudred raised one arm and clubbed the zubat over the head, and the bat pokemon hit the ground with a thud. It was motionless.

Archie recalled it and glanced at his grunts a little self-consciously before sending out another pokemon. It looked like a huge shark. Or rather, half a shark. It had no tail.

"Sharpedo, bite!" Archie commanded, and the shark rocketed forward by spraying a powerful geyser of water out behind it to propel it.

Piper raised a fist to punch it away, and the sharpedo clamped its teeth over her arm. Piper grimaced, but raised its other fist and clubbed the shark on the side of its head.

The sharpedo let go, propelling itself high into the air. Piper watched as it twisted around and started to speed toward her nose-first. She raised her arms in a defensive stance, and the shark tackled her. They both crashed into the wall, and it groaned before collapsing onto them.

Everything was motionless for one horrible second.

Then rubble started to tumble to the ground, and Piper stood, holding the sharpedo by the throat with one hand, the other hand making a _very_ rude gesture at Archie. I couldn't help but smirk.

Piper threw all her weight to one side, then swung the arm holding the sharpedo around and threw the shark at Archie. As it sped toward the Aqua leader, he quickly recalled it.

Archie was still smirking.

"Just as we suspected, Amy," he purred. "You have gotten stronger, despite what the metagross claimed."

A cold finger of fear probed my chest. "What are you talking about?"

Archie laughed coldly. "Did you really think we would let you run willy-nilly all over the region, letting you get stronger? Letting you challenge our leader?"

It all became clear. "You're working with Steven."

"You're a smart one, Amy, I'll give you that," Archie conceded. "But, not smart enough, I suppose. If you were, you would've quit your journey after the steelix attack."

My eyes narrowed as I remembered. "So what are you going to do? You're defeated. I'm stronger than you. You won't be able to capture me."

"I beg to differ." A cold voice emanated from the doorway, and I didn't have to turn to see who it was, I already knew.

"Steven." My voice was dripping with hatred. "I wondered how long it would take you to show up."

The steel-type trainer smiled without humor. Wordlessly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball, twirling it between his fingers before enlarging it.

"The way I see it, you have two options. One, fight against my skarmory and condemn your pokemon to death, or come quietly and be unhurt."

I looked at Piper, who had fallen to one knee. The loudred was panting loudly, and her eye was completely swollen shut. Yet the pokemon balled her fists, and her one good eye glinted with anger as she glared at Steven.

I frowned, defeated. I couldn't let my pokemon get hurt on my account. Ignoring their protests, I recalled them all into their pokeballs. I turned to Steven. "I will go with you."

Steven nodded, as if he had already expected as much. Then, he let out his skarmory, whose flapping wings knocked down another wall. Steven climbed onto its back, and nodded to Archie. "Take her pokeballs."

I glared at the Aqua leader as he approached me, but I allowed him to take my pokemon. "If you hurt them, I'll kill you."

Archie laughed, but Steven merely looked at me contemplatively. I glared at him defiantly.

"I may be going with you peacefully," I growled, "but if you think I'm going to cooperate any further, you've got another think coming."

Steven smirked as Archie gave him my pokemon. "Well, I think you'll do whatever I say, given I could kill any of your pokemon at any moment if you choose to cause trouble. Keep that in mind."

I said nothing, merely allowed the Aqua leader to tie my arms behind my back.

Steven nudged the skarmory, and it rose into the air. With its sharp beak, it pecked at the roof. The wood started to splinter, and finally, the ceiling collapsed. The steel-type trainer then sent out another pokeball, which revealed a smaller skarmory with a flash of light. This skarmory didn't look as battle-worn or experienced as the other one.

Archie tied me to the smaller skarmory. "Enjoy the ride," he laughed snidely. I sneered at him.

Steven's skarmory took off into the air, and the smaller skarmory followed.

Where we were going, I had no idea. As the wind battered my face, I buried my face in the crook of the skarmory's neck. It chirped softly, too soft for Archie to hear, and turned its head far enough that I could see a sliver of its eye. Its eye glinted at me gently before it gave a nearly-imperceptible nod.

Hmm…maybe the metagross wasn't the only one who disagreed with Steven's actions. I winked at the skarmory, and its beak curved upward slightly before it turned its attention back to the skarmory in front of it.

I was not scared. Not yet, anyway.


	11. Chapter 11

chapter eleven

/

**A/N: Sorry for the delay between updates. Been busy. This next chapter is in Brendan's POV, to avoid any confusion for y'all.**

**Disclaimer: Haha no.**

**/**

"Quick attack!"

My grovyle obediently lunged at the manectric, raising the sharp leaves on its arms to slice the electric pokemon as he passed. The manectric sank to the ground, and Kolo landed lightly on his feet. My grovyle returned to my side, eyeing my opponent as he passed.

My opponent laughed heartily, throwing his head back and letting out several loud belly laughs. Kolo stared, nonplussed.

"Well," Wattson laughed, "looks like you get my badge, Brendan! Congratulations, and great battle!" The electric-type trainer approached me and held out one hand. In it was a shiny golden badge. "For you."

I grinned. "Thanks," I said, and reached for the badge.

Kolo cried out suddenly, and knocked me to the side before I could take the badge. The grovyle's eyes were wide, pupils slit-thin.

I rolled over and got to my feet. "Kolo! What's the matter!"

Wattson's lips curled into a smile very much different than his previous grins. This one was sadistic. Evil.

Wattson lunged forward at a speed greater than I would've thought him to possess, and the hand that held the badge made contact with Kolo. Kolo screamed and convulsed before sinking to the ground, foam caking his mouth.

I stared in horror as Wattson laughed menacingly. He stepped over the injured Kolo and advanced on me, the badge glittering menacingly in his hand.

I backed up, frightened. All of my pokemon were fainted from the gym battle. I didn't take my eyes off the badge in Wattson's hand. "What is that?"

Wattson laughed before pulling a blue pokeball I hadn't noticed before off his belt. "Ever heard of a joy buzzer? Well, this joy buzzer has the voltage of a fully-charged Taser. Your grovyle will be unconscious for two, maybe three hours."

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to choke out. Wattson smirked before throwing the pokeball, sending out a pokemon that moved so fast I couldn't identify it. Suddenly, I felt a ripping pain across my chest. I looked down bovinely to see three cuts across my chest, bleeding through my clothes. My shirt was ripped.

I looked back up at Wattson, who was looking at me appraisingly. A navy-blue pokemon sat on his shoulder, licking three silver claws that were stained with blood. My blood.

"We have to get rid of you, Brendan," Wattson said softly. "You are friends with Amy, and if you two team up, you could destroy everything we've worked so hard for."

"What do you mean?"

"We can't afford to have you meddling in our affairs. We've worked hard to get Steven in the position he is today, and he won't be booted out of the Champion spot by the likes of you, or Amy!"

Something had just occurred to me. "Wait, so Steven is in on this?" I was trying to stall. Maybe Kolo would wake up, despite what Wattson had said.

Wattson stepped forward, the pokemon on his shoulder snarling at me. "Yes, he is." The electric-type trainer smiled, relishing my astonishment. "But he's not the only one. Half of the other gym leaders are on his side."

"Which ones?" I was hoping to figure out who Amy's and my allies were.

Wattson laughed mirthlessly. "Now, why would I tell you a thing like that?" He glanced at the blue pokemon. "Sneasel, false swipe."

The pokemon leaped off Wattson's shoulder, claws extended. I reflexively raised an arm to block the assault, and the pokemon's claws ripped down my arm to the elbow. Blood dripped heavily from the wound, and I stumbled backward, dazed and in pain.

"N-No," I mumbled, trying to staunch the blood flow from my arm. The sneasel stood motionless about ten feet away from me, licking my blood off its claws.

I glanced down at Kolo, who was still unconscious. He would be in no shape to fight a healthy pokemon. My hand went to the pokeballs on my belt. My wailmer was out, and so was my slugma. Well, since I recalled Baylor before he was knocked out, he might still have some energy left. Before the sneasel could attack again, I recalled Kolo and sent out Baylor.

"Baylor, stay high!" The wingull took to the air and peered at the sneasel far below, who bared its teeth at the seagull. "Use water gun!"

Baylor spat a stream of water at the sneasel, who shook the attack off like it was nothing. "Use slash," Wattson commanded. The sneasel jumped into the air, extending one still-bloody claw. It raked its claw downward, and Baylor maneuvered its wing away so the sneasel only cut feathers instead of tendons.

"Good job, Baylor!" I shouted. "Now use wing attack!" Before the sneasel could reach the ground, my wingull extended its wings, screeching angrily. It shot at the sneasel, who tried unsuccessfully to twist in midair. Baylor's wings slammed into the sneasel, and the pokemon hit the ground with a thud.

The sneasel angrily got to its feet, and, without a command from Wattson, jumped at Baylor and raked its claws down his back. Baylor spiraled to the ground, screeching in pain, and I quickly recalled him.

"You did well, Baylor." I said to the pokeball. "Take a break."

The sneasel was glaring at me, one eye swollen shut from the wing attack. It flexed its claws and hissed at me.

"You want it?" I asked it, raising my fists. "Well, come and get it!"

The sneasel snarled and sprang forward, claws aimed for my throat. I balled a fist and threw a looping overhand punch, catching the sneasel behind its red, feathery ear. It sprawled on the ground for an instant, then spun around in a maneuver worthy of a hitmontop. It sprang low and claws cut through my leg. I sank to the ground, my leg throbbing and bleeding.

"Enough, Sneasel," Wattson commanded. "I want him living." The sneasel spat crossly, but backed off, licking a claw.

I struggled to get up as blood poured down my leg. Wattson smirked. He threw another pokeball, and a metallic raptor appeared. It looked at me with something akin to pity in its eyes before casting the sneasel a dark look, which it pretended not to notice.

"Where'd you get these pokemon? I thought you trained electric-types exclusively."

"The sneasel is from a gym leader colleague of mine from another region, the skarmory is from Steven. He gives one to all of his followers."

The skarmory, a small and lanky beast, clicked its beak. Wattson walked over to me and hoisted me over his shoulder before I could react. I started to struggle.

"Don't," he ordered. "Or you'll get to feel the pain of this joy buzzer." Reluctantly, I became still again. Wattson carried me over to the skarmory, and placed me on its back. The raptor sagged a little.

"You know where to take him." Wattson said to the skarmory. "And remember, if you decide to take a little detour, my manectric is skilled at tracking. And hunting."

The skarmory shuddered slightly under me, and clicked its beak at Wattson.

The electric-type leader backed up a few steps, before throwing his arm out before him. "What are you waiting for then? Go!" The sneasel snarled, making a gesture at the skarmory that wouldn't be polite to describe.

With a screech of fright, the skarmory took to the air, and I watched Mauville become small below us.

**A/N: And the plot thickens! So, where **_**are **_**Brendan and Amy being taken? Which gym leaders are on the side of Steven? Will I update sooner next time? The answers will be revealed in the next chapter of The Schism: Hoenn's Descent.**

**Also, anticipate the arrival of a well-known character from another region (actually, two, if you count his companion)!**


	12. Chapter 12

chapter twelve

/

**A/N: Back in Amy's POV for a while.**

**Disclaimer: Unless I'm Satoshi Tajiri in disguise, I don't own nuttin'.**

**/**

The skarmory moved surprisingly fast for a bird of metal. I clung to the raptor's steely body as it plunged toward the earth. It glanced back at me, and I saw an apologetic glint in its eye.

"Hurry it up," called Steven from the other skarmory. My skarmory gave a chirr of assent and tucked its wings into its body, increasing its plunge. I fought the urge to scream, instead tightening my grip on it.

As we descended through the clouds, I could see a long series of steps leading up to a large, elaborately-decorated building. A pokeball decorated the front façade. The Pokemon League.

Steven's skarmory landed and he recalled it. He watched as we descended to the ground, and my skarmory landed with a soft jostle. Steven quickly made his way over to me, dragging me down from the skarmory. I cried out as one of the raptor's steely feathers pierced my arm, and the skarmory hissed.

Steven dragged me away from the skarmory, and I struggled to keep my footing. Finally, I spoke up. "I can walk, you know. You don't have to drag me."

Steven glanced down at me, and released my arm. I indignantly straightened my clothes out, as if it would make any difference. My clothing was ripped, dusty, grimy, and smelly.

I quickly followed Steven up the stairs. The steel-type trainer glanced back, where the skarmory still stood at the foot of the steps, peering up at us concernedly. "Selwyn, come."

Selwyn swiftly flew after us, gliding softly on its metal wings. We reached the top of the steps, where the mouth of the building was supported by several sturdy pillars. The skarmory landed behind us silently, and Steven snapped his fingers.

Immediately, a man clad in a striped shirt and blue pants came forward from the shadows. I sneered. Team Aqua scum.

"Sir," the grunt bowed, "we have the other one secured. The same for this one?"

"Not in the same cell."

Before I could even consider what they meant, I was roughly grabbed by the grunt, who then began to drag me forward. I narrowed my eyes in anger. What was it with these people and dragging?

I swiftly kicked the grunt in the shin, and when he grabbed it in pain, I jerked my arm from his grip. Instinctively, my hand went to my belt for a pokeball, and I was surprised to feel no spheres at my waist. Then, I remembered. Steven had them.

The grunt straightened up, growling. Before I could react, he lunged forward and smacked me across the face. I let out a grunt of pain, and Selwyn let out a low concerned noise.

I touched my hand to my face, and it came away with blood. My lip was bleeding. The grunt grabbed me again, and dragged me into the building. I looked back at Steven, who was merely watching appraisingly, and Selwyn stood slightly behind him. The skarmory gave me a desperate look before the doors shut behind me.

Instead of continuing forward down the grand hallway, the grunt yanked me to the right, toward a flight of stairs nearly hidden in the shadows. We descended quickly, the grunt muttering to himself reflectively.

I was met with a horrifying sight. Rows of cages spanned the small space, and many of them had occupants. As we advanced across the small room, I was shocked to see a dark-haired woman with wilted flowers in her hair huddling in one cage. Phoebe of the Elite Four. She looked up at me weakly as the grunt dragged me. Was this why Selwyn had looked so desperate when I entered?

We passed several more cages, one housing an espeon who was trying to get to the umbreon in the adjacent cage. Finally, we came to the end of the row, and I was unceremoniously shoved into one of the cages, the door closed and locked behind me.

I rattled the cage door frantically as the grunt left. I scanned the area quickly, trying to figure out a way to escape.

"H-Hey," a raspy voice from the cage next to me said, and I stopped trying to break the door. I peered through the bars into the cage, but all I could see was a dark, hulking shape huddled against the cage door.

"Who's there?"

The person shivered, and lifted their head, seemingly a large feat of effort for them. I came face-to-face with a bruised, bloody countenance. Two startling green eyes looked at me steadily, and I was shocked to realize that this person was familiar.

"Brendan! What happened to you?" I gasped.

Brendan managed to smile, but it only revealed the cuts in his lips and brought his bruised cheek into focus. "I was challenging Wattson…used a Taser-like thing…took my pokemon," he wheezed.

I was appalled. Even the gym leaders were involved in Steven's scheme. "Are you okay?"

Brendan grinned sheepishly, and I realized that had been a rather stupid question. Here Brendan was, about two inches from me, his face broken and bloodied, wheezing and rasping, and I was questioning his well-being?

Shaking my head and snickering at myself, I allowed my head to fall forward onto the bars. I sat there in silence for a few minutes, allowing the nature of my fate to overwhelm me. The champion of the region sought to bring about its downfall, the gym leaders supported him, my pokemon were missing and possibly hurt, and my rival was lying shattered in the cell next to me.

Feeling a lump in my throat, tears began to fall from my eyes. I began to sob harder, clenching my hands around the bars. Brendan said nothing, and I just sat there, bawling my eyes out.

Suddenly, I felt a warm pressure against my forehead, and I looked up. Brendan leaned back as I did, and for a second I hesitated, confused. Then Brendan smiled embarrassedly, and I realized he had kissed me on the forehead. My rival reached a hand through the bars and placed it on my shoulder, warm, assuring, tangible. I stared into his startling green eyes, hardened with resolve.

"We _will_ make it out of this," he promised. I couldn't help but be touched by his attempt to comfort me. I reached up with one hand and grasped his hand with my own. It was warm. _He _was warm.

I smiled, my first real smile in who knows how long. "I believe you," I said softly.

/

Time passed, for the most part, slowly. The guards fed us three times a day. We were let out at every meal to use the restroom. For the most part, though, we remained cooped up in those cages. Mine was slightly longer than my body length, and three times my width, but I was unable to stand up straight in my cage, instead resorting to duck-walking for my physical stimulation.

Brendan's wounds had closed and healed, but he still had a tiny scar below his nose. I wondered how Finley, Vanellope, and Piper were faring. If they were being fed. If they had been cooped up in their pokeball as long as I had been in this cage. If they had been given to Steven's cohorts to use for evil purposes.

I was jarred from my thoughts by the sound of the cage door opening, and I was greeted with the sight of two guards. One had dirty-blond hair and peculiarly golden eyes, and the other had oddly-tinted hair. It seemed to be dark-blonde at first glance, but at closer observation, it had a strange greenish tint.

The green-haired boy knelt down in front of the cage. "Amy, remember me?"

I was bewildered. I couldn't remember meeting this strange-haired boy. I shook my head frowning, and the boy looked slightly disappointed. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball, dropping it on the floor. It opened with a flash, and a pokemon with hair to match the boy's appeared. Its hair was light green, and extended past its shoulders in thick tendrils. Its slender body was white, and its crimson eyes blinked at me intelligently. A kirlia.

As I looked at the dancer pokemon, it all came back to me. I helped a sickly boy catch his very first pokemon…

"Wally!" I exclaimed, and he smiled. It was no wonder I hadn't recognized him, then. His pallid skin had become healthy-looking and clear, and his pale-skinny arms had become tanned, muscular, and…wow, Wally was looking good.

The older guy next to Wally cleared his throat quietly, and Wally started. "Oh, Amy, this is Wes."

"Hello, Amy," Wes said in a quiet, cool voice. "Nice to meet you." We shook hands, and Wally continued, "He's from the Orre region. He defeated two criminal organizations, Cipher and Snagem."

Wes smiled modestly. Then, his sharp golden eyes snapped to the stairs. "We should hurry. I hear someone."

Wally nodded and turned back to me. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely."


End file.
